Young player asks for trade after being sent to the AHL.

Tampa Bay Lightning young forward and third overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, was sent down to the American Hockey League yesterday.

This morning, his agent, Allen Walsh, has announced that Drouin requested a trade back in November and that he still wants to change team, especially after being sent down to the Syracuse Crunch.

Walsh released this statement today:

On behalf of Jonathan Drouin, I formally requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning in November. We have not said one word about this untenable situation publicly until today. It's in everyone's best interests that Jonathan be allowed to move on and play hockey. Let's be clear, Jonathan loves playing for the fans in Tampa, he loves his teammates and many people within the Lightning organization have treated him well. It was his sincere intention to play in Tampa for man years.

Drouin was an healthy scratch last year for 20 of his team's 26 games, during the playoffs.

It will be interesting to see Drouin's value when a trade is finally done. The situation reminds us the Kyle Turris' situation when he was in Phoenix.

[pub]