Embattled Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jonathan Drouin will sit out of Wednesday’s game against the Utica Comets, reports Syracuse.com.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 draft is reported to have missed a team meeting on Tuesday and will be scratched as a consequence. Drouin is reported to have had an alarm clock problem, “apologized and accepted full responsibility.”
Crunch general manager Julien BriseBois said that this will be the only game the Drouin sits, adding that he has been good since returning and that this incident does not change how the organization feels about Drouin.
It’s been a tough year for the prospect, who started the year with high expectations. A trade request and a team suspension have turned his year into an off-ice spectacle, and not the year of on-ice growth and development that was expected.
Drouin has posted five goals and an assist through six games since returning to the team and having his suspension lifted on March 7.
Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman has not closed the door on recalling Drouin to the NHL if they feel like he can help the team in the postseason. “It’ll be up to my play to prove that I can go back up there,” Drouin said after returning to the team.