Lightning potentially face an uncertain future without Stamkos, Drouin
Let's get this out of the way: The Tampa Bay Lightning were never going to trade Steven Stamkos.
General manager Steve Yzerman - refreshingly proactive and ahead of the curve - confirmed the obvious Monday, releasing a statement saying Stamkos won't be traded and will remain Tampa Bay's captain through and after the trade deadline. Stamkos will be wearing blue and white on Feb. 29 in Toronto, but it will be the Lightning's, not the Maple Leafs'.
So we know what the short-term future of the club looks like, and it includes Stamkos and not Jonathan Drouin, suspended by the club as he awaits a trade.
It's in the summer when things will get interesting. If Stamkos does depart in unrestricted free agency, the Lightning's future will be devoid of both Stamkos and Drouin, thought to comprise the club's core for the next 8-to-10 years, at least.
Stamkos for a Cup
The questions are: What is a Stanley Cup worth to Yzerman and the Lightning? Is it worth losing Stamkos if Tampa Bay wins it all?
The Lightning have their eyes on the postseason. They were two wins away from lifting the Stanley Cup in 2015, so there is unfinished business to take care of. And Yzerman believes in his club, which looks a lot like last year's Eastern Conference-winning outfit, and is playing solid hockey after a slow start.
By announcing his intention to keep Stamkos in Tampa Bay, Yzerman's sent a message to his group: Get it done. And it makes a Drouin trade, if it happens, seem like it will help the club today, right now, to add reinforcements, so the Lightning can once again play in June.
No guarantees
Everyone knows the work Yzerman has in front of him. Drouin needs a new home; Stamkos, leading scorer Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn, and Vladislav Namestnikov need new contracts; Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, Victor Hedman, and Ben Bishop need new deals after 2016-17. That's one long to-do list.
But Yzerman, it seems, will deal with his issues later. He paid the price as a player to win the Stanley Cup, and while he must surely believe that he can get Stamkos to stay in Tampa Bay, it appears he's willing to pay the ultimate price in Stamkos himself for a Stanley Cup. However, nothing is guaranteed in the NHL in the spring. Yzerman knows that best.
In the end, the Lightning could be Kucherov, Johnson, and Palat's team a lot sooner than anyone expected. Losing Stamkos will never be easy to accept, but a Stanley Cup banner will make it a lot easier.
You have to admire Yzerman's faith.