This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Like the Fast & Furious series, the Jonathan Drouin saga refuses to die.
The saga started on Jan. 3 when Drouin's agent, Allan Wash, announced that the 20-year-old forward had requested a trade back in November. Now reports of a pending trade surface daily. When they're cut down, three new reports pop up in its place.
But the saga gained an entirely new wrinkle on Wednesday when the Lightning suspended Drouin indefinitely for failing to report to a Syracuse Crunch game.
According to a statement from Walsh after the suspension was announced, a trade was almost done recently and Drouin's camp felt that it was in everyone's interest to not have Drouin play any more since an injury could derail trade talks. The Lightning didn't agree and Drouin appears to have decided to follow through on his plan anyhow.
There are a lot of layers to this onion, but let's stick within the fantasy realm. We've talked about Drouin as an interesting speculative pick-up in some keeper formats. That's largely been based on the raw talent he possesses (it's still there) and that any team acquiring him is going to give him NHL ice time to prove his worth.
That's still an interesting move, but the later in the season it get, the less alluring that claim and stash becomes.
The other part to be aware of is that we shouldn't assume urgency on Tampa's behalf. They're looking to maximize their return and Steve Yzerman is a stubborn negotiator. Tampa has been playing without Drouin most of the year. There's no reason they have to get this done now. His value has fallen to its low point. He didn't shine in the AHL and he's taken the nuclear option to get the trade. Letting him sit and not play doesn't hurt the team at all. They can afford to be patient.
It may be best from a fantasy perspective to wait and see what Drouin can bring to a new team next season, unless a deal is done soon. But even then, I'd rather have to race to waivers than waste a roster spot on him now.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Canucks (Ryan Miller) at Bruins (Tuukka Rask), 7:00 PM
Senators (Craig Anderson) at Devils (Cory Schneider), 7:00 PM
Flyers (Steve Mason) at Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury), 7:00 PM
Flames (Karri Ramo) at Blue Jackets (Sergei Bobrovsky), 7:00 PM
Hurricanes (Eddie Lack) at Toronto Maple Leafs (James Reimer), 7:30 PM
Blackhawks (Corey Crawford) at Lightning (Ben Bishop), 7:30 PM
Predators (Pekka Rinne) at Jets (Connor Hellebuyck), 8:00 PM
Oilers (Cam Talbot) at Stars (Antti Niemi), 8:30 PM
Sharks (Martin Jones) at Coyotes (Louis Domingue), 9:00 PM
Wild (Darcy Kuemper) at Kings (Jonathan Quick), 10:30 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Thursday
Vancouver Canucks
Henrik Sedin, C (undisclosed) - isn't expected back until after the All-Star break
Dan Hamhuis, D (face) - is a couple weeks from a return at the nearest
Brandon Sutter, C (abdomen) - is expected to return soon
Boston Bruins
Landon Ferraro, RW (lower body) - is day-to-day
Chris Kelly, RW (femur fracture) - is out for the season
David Krejci, C (upper body) - has started taking contact again as of Wednesday
Adam McQuaid, D (upper body) - isn't ready to return
Ottawa Senators
Chris Phillips, D (back) - is not making progress in his recovery
Clarke MacArthur, LW (concussion) - has skated, but hasn't taken contact
Marc Methot, D (undisclosed) - will not play Thursday
Kyle Turris, C (undisclosed) - is a game-time decision on Thursday
Mike Hoffman, LW (undisclosed) - is a game-time decision on Thursday
New Jersey Devils
Bobby Farnham, LW (suspension) - continues to serve his suspension
Jacob Josefson, C (lower body) - is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday
Jon Merrill, D (upper body) - is considered week-to-week
Jiri Tlusty, LW (upper body) - is questionable on Thursday
Patrik Elias, LW (knee) - will not be back any time soon
Philadelphia Flyers
Healthy
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pascal Dupuis, RW (blood clots) - will not play hockey again
Kris Letang, D (undisclosed) - did not practice Wednesday and is considered day-to-day
Nick Bonino, C (hand) - will miss a month of play
Beau Bennett, RW (upper body) - practiced again Wednesday
David Warsofsky, D (concussion) - is questionable
Calgary Flames
Lance Bouma, C (leg) - is expected to return at some point during the current road trip
Columbus Blue Jackets
Matt Calvert, LW (knee) - is likely to miss at least another week
David Savard, D (oblique) - is expected to miss a month
David Clarkson, RW (upper body) - remains on injured reserve
Curtis McElhinney, G (ankle) - is on IR
Nick Foligno, LW (upper body) - is out indefinitely
Carolina Hurricanes
Cam Ward, G (concussion) - was placed on IR Wednesday
James Wisniewski, D (ACL) - isn't coming back until the very end of the season
Brett Pesce, D (lower body) - has returned to practice
Toronto Maple Leafs
James van Riemsdyk, LW (foot) - will miss upwards of another month
Nick Spaling, C (upper body) - has practiced, but remains questionable
Chicago Blackhawks
Marcus Kruger, C (wrist) - won't be back soon
Tampa Bay Lightning
Jonathan Drouin, C (suspension) - has been suspended indefinitely without pay by the team
Nashville Predators
Colin Wilson, LW (lower body) - has been skating, but doesn't appear ready to play
Gabriel Bourque, LW (upper body) - has practiced, but won't play Thursday
Winnipeg Jets
Mark Scheifele, C (lower body) - is still on IR, but could be activated at any time
Adam Lowry, LW (upper body) - hit injured reserve Sunday
Drew Stafford, RW (undisclosed) - was placed on injured reserve Sunday
Ondrej Pavelec, G (knee) - has skated, but doesn't appear ready to return
Edmonton Oilers
Andrew Ference, D (undisclosed) - remains on IR
Lauri Korpikoski, LW (foot) - didn't play Tuesday and is likely out Thursday
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C (hand) - is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks following an injury this week
Oscar Klefbom, D (finger/leg) - in addition to his lingering finger injury, he has an infection in his leg
Connor McDavid, C (shoulder) - will likely be out through the All-Star break
Dallas Stars
Jordie Benn, D (lower body) - was placed on injured reserve Monday
San Jose Sharks
Dainius Zubrus, RW (upper body) - could play Thursday, but remains officially day-to-day
Raffi Torres, LW (knee) - has suffered a "minor setback," and isn't ready to make his season debut
Arizona Coyotes
Mike Smith, G (lower body) - has taken to the ice again, but isn't ready to return to the net in game action
Joe Vitale, C (fractured orbital bone) - remains out
Minnesota Wild
Ryan Carter, LW (hand) - is out through the All-Star break
Los Angeles Kings
Kyle Clifford, LW (upper body) - has a murky timeline, but won't play Thursday
Matt Greene, D (shoulder) - is out for the rest of the season
Hot
Ryan O'Reilly, C, BUF — O'Reilly grabbed an assist in his first game at Colorado's Pepsi Center since a summer trade sent him to Buffalo. He's got assists in three straight and has been producing consistently for the cellar-dwelling Sabres. With three goals and five assists in his last 10 games, he's giving Buffalo what they were looking for in that trade. Additionally, the fewest minutes he's played in his last seven games is 20:47. He's shouldering the load and getting the opportunities.
Carl Soderberg, C, COL — Soderberg is probably on the best stretch of games he's had in his short career in the Rockies. An assist against Colorado Wednesday gives him two goals and five assists through his last seven games, adding a plus-1 rating and four games where he crossed the 20-minute threshold in that span. He's once again showing the kind of depth value he had last year with the Bruins.
Cold
Thomas Vanek, LW, MIN — He's managed to grab a couple of goals recently, though nothing like he was at the start of the season. Many who don't watch or own Vanek tend to forget that though he's a great goal scorer, his biggest asset may be his creative playmaking ability. That's not clicking for him right now, as the Wild continue to struggle scoring goals on their current slump. Vanek hasn't posted an assist in his last 12 games. He's also gone three straight games without managing to put a single shot on net.
Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, STL — I know. We're talking in relative terms here. He's had a cold stretch for a guy who is ranked fourth in the league in goals, sixth in points, seventh in power play goals and seventh in shots. He's put up just a single goal and three points in his last seven games. It hasn't been a good stretch for him. The positive? Despite that slowed scoring pace he's averaging over 3.4 shots per game during this span and is still fourth in the NHL in goals, sixth in... etc. etc.
Recommended Pickup
Shea Theodore, D, ANA — The rookie defenseman now has a four-game point streak going and has looked good throughout the streak. Will it last forever? No. He's probably not Shayne Gostisbehere 2.0, but he's earning more responsibility and is highly regarded. However, he may be better for daily play than keeper leagues. With Cam Fowler set to return soon and Simon Despres in the AHL on a conditioning stint, there's a good chance that Theodore will find himself back in the AHL before too long. It won't be for performance reasons though. Anaheim has a very talented, very crowded blue line when it's completely healthy and Theodore doesn't require waivers to be sent down.
