TAMPA, Fla. -- The once-exiled Jonathan Drouin is proving he wants to be a hockey player.
No, scratch that. The 21-year-old, third-overall pick in the 2013 draft has the ability to become a superstar. It's only a question of whether or not he wants it, and if he wants to do it for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In January, he requested a trade. Then he was suspended for refusing to report to the organization's AHL affiliate in Syracuse. He sat at home for nearly two months until he had a conversation with Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman, who decided not to trade Drouin at the deadline.