Drouin was recalled to the pro club Thursday morning after a tumultuous season that's seen him bounce around the minors and find the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
On if he has future w/ #tblightning beyond this season, @jodrouin27: "Right now, I'm going to play hockey, we put that stuff aside for now."
For the Lightning, though, it's apparently water under the bridge, as the team welcomed the 21-year-old to practice with a series of stick taps, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.
Tampa Bay players told Smith that Drouin's "part of the family." The Lightning will hope his return can provide an offensive spark, as they've lost three of their last four and totaled only five goals in that span.
As for Drouin, he's ready to move on and contribute positively to the defending Eastern Conference champions as they head into the playoffs.
#TBLightning Drouin said he's excited to be back, happy to be welcomed by teammates. Just wants to help
Drouin played seven games for the AHL's Syracuse Crunch in January. Although he previously requested a trade, the 2013 third overall pick said talk of a deal has been put aside and he's focused on what happens on the ice.
Drouin also received a vote of confidence from Lightning head coach Jon Cooper.
"Jonathan Drouin earned this call-up," Cooper said.
Though Tampa Bay has already clinched a playoff spot, Drouin's return versus New Jersey on Thursday night is a massive one for the Lightning, who are without captain Steven Stamkos for anywhere from one-to-three months due to a blood clot.
The Boston Bruins will host the Detroit Red Wings in a game with massive playoff implications. If the Red Wings win, they're in, and their streak of consecutive playoff appearances will run to 25.
Detroit played Wednesday night, and did what it needed to do: beat the Philadelphia Flyers. The Red Wings did it in style, with Jimmy Howard recording his first shutout since the season opener in a 3-0 win.
Head coach Jeff Blashill is making sure his team is ready to play again 24 hours later, even though the Red Wings arrived at their Boston hotel at 2:45 a.m. ET.
"We worked on it with our nutritionist and our athletic trainers and strength coach to try to have as good a plan as possible to get rejuvenated," Blashill said, according to the Detroit Free Press' Helene St. James. "It's physical and mental. We'll find a way to make sure we're at our very best. There'll be zero excuses."
Howard's expected to get the start in net after his excellent game Wednesday.
The Bruins, meanwhile, have lost two in a row and three of four, their last defeat a 2-1 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. A win will put the Bruins and Red Wings in a tie at 93 points.
The Bruins head into Thursday tied with the Flyers at 91 points, but the Flyers hold the second wild-card spot in the East thanks to a game in hand. Boston must win its final two games, and get some help. The Flyers host the Maple Leafs on Thursday, so they're almost guaranteed two points.
"It's still in our hands, so we need to go out there and do our jobs," Patrice Bergeron said, according to CSNNE.com's Joe Haggerty. "The biggest thing is you have to be confident, and you have to believe. But at the same time there are no more chances here. We have to seize it, and go out there and do it."
"It's an exciting time of year, and it's do-or-die," he said. "We're going to take it one step at a time, and I think we are an excited group. ... You just need to play our game, and get the emotion going, get the (Garden) going and hopefully that will be what we need to get it done."
The Ottawa Senators forward hasn't played since March 30, when Dustin Byfuglien sent him into another galaxy with a stunning body check. He talked about the hit Thursday.
The pivot will return to the Washington Capitals' lineup Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, head coach Barry Trotz confirmed. Backstrom missed three games with an upper-body injury.
Asked if he'd have been able to play with the injury in the playoffs, Backstrom was coy. "Maybe," he said.
Backstrom has 20 goals and 47 assists in 73 games.
The Capitals have three games left to play in the regular season, and while they've locked up the Presidents' Trophy and home ice throughout the playoffs, the games matter. Braden Holtby needs one win to tie Martin Brodeur's single-season record for wins by a goalie, at 48.
As another NHL season winds down, it's time to take stock of those that wear the "C" - the captains. Usually a team's best player, the man with the "C" on his jersey often gets the glory, but also the blame.
We're going to rank the captains of all 30 clubs Wednesday through Friday, starting with 30 through 16.
Here is the third tier of NHL captains.
30. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs traded captain Dion Phaneuf in February. His 400-plus-game tenure was defined by failure - he wore the "C" in Game 7, when the Maple Leafs were up 4-1.
Toronto went captainless for two seasons after Mats Sundin - the greatest captain in franchise history - departed. And a similar vacancy is likely in store as the club completes the first season of its rebuild. William Nylander isn't ready. Yet.
29. Edmonton Oilers
Todd McLellan's first season behind the bench in Edmonton saw him go without a captain. Leadership isn't the issue with the Oilers; the club's problems go far deeper. But this we know: Connor McDavid will be the next captain of the Oilers. The only question is, "When?"
28. Carolina Hurricanes
Another rebuilding club without a captain after trading Eric Staal. All in all, a solid rebuilding season for Bill Peters and co. Jeff Skinner's an option, but Jordan Staal makes sense, too. A captain-less season could be in the cards as well.
27. Winnipeg Jets
The Jets traded their captain, Andrew Ladd, to the Chicago Blackhawks before this year's deadline. That opens up the job for Dustin Byfuglien, who's locked up through 2019-20 and one of the most intimidating players in the game. But there's also an argument to be made for Blake Wheeler, one of the criminally underrated players in hockey. There's no wrong answer between the two.
26. Andy Greene
Andy Greene is a very Devils captain. He's 33, a stay-at-home defenseman, and a lifelong Devil. He took the job this season, replacing another unheralded defenseman in Bryce Salvador. Green's locked up through 2020, so his job appears safe, but Patrik Elias should wear the "C" if he gets into one more game, likely his last.
25. Brian Gionta
Gionta's a placeholder captain in Buffalo - not that there's anything wrong with that. Signed through next season, he'll likely hand over the gig to Ryan O'Reilly, because, let's face it, Jack Eichel doesn't need that kind of pressure.
24. Nick Foligno
After three seasons without a captain, Nick Foligno donned the "C" in 2015-16, and things haven't gone so well. The club's awful start saw head coach Todd Richards fired, John Tortorella brought in, and Ryan Johansen - thought to be the future of the franchise - traded. Columbus failed to make the playoffs when expectations were arguably the highest they've ever been in Ohio, and Foligno's had one of his worst season's offensively. It can only get better from here.
23. Max Pacioretty
Being named captain of the Montreal Canadiens was a dream for Max Pacioretty. It quickly turned into a nightmare. After Montreal went without a captain in 2014-15, Pacioretty's tenure began almost historically but ended in heartbreak. The forward admits the season's been an excellent learning experience, as he tried to take on too much responsibility and his own game suffered.
"It's definitely been a tough experience, but I have to get better from this and I have to learn what it takes to be a great captain," he said.
22. Shane Doan
Doan is completing his 11th season as captain of the Coyotes, and they are a young team on the rise. Doan's also scoring, his 27 goals his highest total since 2008-09. The lifelong member of the Coyotes franchise will turn 40 in October, so the end is near, but there's arguably no better captain for a young team like the one in Arizona. He'll pass the torch to Oliver Ekman-Larsson, one of the best defensemen in the league.
21. Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell's in his second season as Florida Panthers captain, but unfortunately there's no guarantee he'll get to play in the playoffs. He's been out with a concussion since Jan. 18. It's a shame, because Mitchell is one of the more respected elders in the NHL, and played over 20 minutes a game for the Kings' Cup-winning teams in 2012 and 2014.
20. Mark Giordano
Giordano's completing his third season as captain of the Calgary Flames, and his production isn't an issue. He hit the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career, and his 55 points are a personal best. He plays a ton, and is everything you want from a No. 1 defenseman - and a captain for a young team. He simply needs some help. Especially in goal.
19. Henrik Sedin
Sedin took over for Roberto Luongo in 2010, and he's been an exemplary captain. He is one of the (same) two faces of the franchise, he produces, and he plays, missing only 20 games in the past six seasons. Unfortunately, Sedin plays for the directionless Canucks, and will be 36 in September. He'll wear the "C" until he wants to out west, but there's currently no clear candidate to succeed him.
18. Gabriel Landeskog
The good news for Gabriel Landeskog: Patrick Roy likes him. And the Colorado Avalanche head coach doesn't seem to like a lot of his players. Only 23, Landeskog's already completing his fourth season with the "C." The team's only been to the playoffs once during that time, and until the Avs succeed, there will be questions as to whether too much was placed on Landeskog's shoulders too soon. Five times a 20-goal scorer, and four times a 50-point producer, Landeskog's the man in Denver until he's not.
17. Mikko Koivu
Koivu's the perfect Minnesota Wild captain: drafted by the franchise, a solid possession player, responsible defensively, and often good for 50 points. You could do a lot worse.
16. Dustin Brown
Brown's been captain of the Kings for eight seasons, and he's in the third tier of those with the "C" simply due to a lack of production. But being a captain is about more than scoring goals and racking up points - Brown's a great example. He's clearly an important cog on a Kings team that's been ultra-competitive over the past seven years. And he's a Stanley Cup winner.
Check back Thursday as we continue to rank NHL captains, from No. 15 down to No. 6.
TAMPA, Fla. - The struggling Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Jonathan Drouin from the American Hockey League.
The Lightning have lost four of six games and lacked offence since losing captain Steven Stamkos (blood clot) and defencem...
Years of draft-pick hoarding and smart selections have produced a bright future for the Toronto Maple Leafs. One of the centerpieces of that future is the No. 5 overall selection from the 2012 draft, Morgan Rielly.
A defenseman given the freedom to roam the ice, Rielly is the rare player who makes plays for his team over every square inch of the ice surface.
That freedom given to him within the Leafs' system led to a goal during a short-handed situation in Wednesday night's home finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
With the Leafs down a man early in the second period, Martin Marincin wins a puck battle in the corner of his own zone and chips the puck up the wall to teammate Brooks Laich. At that point, the Blue Jackets have two players below the end line, and another even with Rielly.
Rielly elects to join the breakout, and eventually gains a step on his pursuer.
Just as the Leafs are about to enter the Blue Jackets' zone, Rielly makes a wide right turn to put himself in perfect position for Frederik Gauthier's drop pass, and create further separation from the Columbus player responsible for defending him.
Upon beating his man to the spot, Rielly (44) is left with an uncontested wrister from the top of the right circle. Aided by the traffic in front of the net created by Laich, Rielly's shot finds its way over Sergei Bobrovsky's right shoulder and into the back of the cage for the game's opening tally.
For Rielly, the goal was his ninth of the season, establishing a new career high for the third-year pro.
EDMONTON - The Edmonton Oilers gave their fans something to cheer about in their final home game of the regular season.
Patrick Maroon scored twice as the Oilers won at Rexall Place for the final time, beating the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 on Wed...
