Lightning's Jonathan Drouin: Wants to remain with Bolts

Drouin has mended his relationship with the Lightning, expressing his desire to remain with the team, the Tampa Bay Times reports. "I definitely want to be here," Drouin said.

Analysis:

Drouin, Tampa's third overall draft selection in 2013, had an interesting season, to say the least. He sustained a lower-body injury in late October, requested to be traded in November, and ultimately was demoted to the minors. That didn't sit well with the talented center as he refused to report for an AHL game and was consequently slapped with a suspension, though the ban would end up getting lifted. Despite only appearing in 21 regular season games in which he totaled four goals and six assists, the slick-passing forward was called up in time for the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He really took off offensively in the postseason and finished with 14 points, the third-highest output on the team. Drouin has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $894,167 before he'll become a restricted free agent. He has tremendous sleeper appeal heading into 2016-17 now that he seems content in his role on the Bolts.