After a couple seasons of reportedly shopping forward Jonathan Drouin with varying degrees of desperation, Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman finally found an adequate match in the Montreal Canadiens and defensive prospect Mikhail Sergachev. Yzerman explained why the search took this long to complete.
Yzerman on Sergachev: “We think he has a chance to play in all situations in this league & it’s very hard to find players of that caliber.”
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 15, 2017
Sergachev, a No. 9 pick by the Canadiens in the 2016 NHL Draft, has played just four NHL games, but he scored 10 goals and added 33 assists in 50 games at the OHL level in 2017 with the eventual Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires.
Yzerman refuted claims of this being a move to simply rid themselves of Drouin, and mentioned Sergachev was a player the Lightning had been watching for some time.
Yzerman on Sergachev: “We watched him in juniors… He’s got good size, he’s very strong, he skates very well, he’s got an excellent shot.”
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 15, 2017
Sergachev goes from spending the past two training camps learning from the likes of P.K. Subban and Shea Weber to a potential top-pairing role alongside 2017 Norris nominee Victor Hedman. A pretty decent change of scenery.
