Drouin welcomed back by Lightning, wants to 'help the guys clinch home ice'

After months away from his teammates, Jonathan Drouin is happy to be sharing a rink with the Tampa Bay Lightning once again.

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. His agent went public with a trade request in January, Drouin eventually holding out for a deal that never came.

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.

"I'm just here to help the team, help the guys clinch home ice," Drouin said.

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.

Drouin played seven games for the AHL's Syracuse Crunch in January. The 2013 third overall pick said talk of a trade 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.

"(The trade request) is what he felt he had to do. He's a big part of the Lightning and a big part of us. Do players look at him differently in the room? Not at all. Do coaches look at him (differently)? No. He had a belief in something and he stood by his ground. Can't say anything is wrong with that. I do know he's come back to help us win. And you talk to the coaches and everyone down in Syracuse, and he was phenomenal down there. That's what you want. You want the kids that want to play and he's clearly proven, especially in the last month and a half that he wants to be a hockey player, and can't ask any more than that.

"We need him," Cooper concluded.

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.