Will this former Lightning forward find a new home?
With it being August, most of this year's top UFAs have been signed by new teams this off-season. Although this is the case, there are still some notable UFAs who have not landed their next contracts yet.
Interestingly, a former Tampa Bay Lightning forward is among them.
At this stage in the summer, former Lightning first-round pick Jonathan Drouin has not been able to find a new home for the 2026-27 season. This comes after he was bought out by the St. Louis Blues ahead of free agency.
Drouin appeared in 64 games last season split between the New York Islanders and Blues, where he posted four goals and 24 points. Yet, he had 37 points in 43 games with the Colorado Avalanche just back in 2024-25, so it is fair to wonder if he could end up landing a one-year deal or professional tryout (PTO) agreement from an NHL team before the season starts.
Teams looking for more secondary offensive production could consider taking a chance on Drouin. Just back in 2023-24 with the Avalanche, he recorded 19 goals and 56 points, so he has shown that he can produce decent offense when playing at his best.
In 164 games over three seasons with the Lightning from 2014-15 to 2016-17, Drouin posted 29 goals, 66 assists, and 95 points. His time with the Bolts ended when he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for former Lightning star defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and a 2018 second-round pick. He memorably requested a trade earlier in his Lightning tenure before this move went down.
