UPDATE: Drouin will make debut Monday in Edmonton
UPDATE: With Lightning center Alex Killorn apparently a late scratch from the lineup, it appears Drouin actually will make his NHL debut Monday night after all, according to a tweet from Edmonton Oilers play-by-play man Jack Michaels.
Tampa Bay Lightning top prospect Jonathan Drouin won't make his debut Monday night in Edmonton, during the team's game against the Oilers, despite traveling across North America to join the team on its current road trip.
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said the team would rest Drouin Monday in light of his recent hectic travel schedule and his playing in back-to-back minor league games on Friday and Saturday. Drouin flew from Syracuse, N.Y., to Edmonton over the weekend after his second game in as many nights with the American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch. He scored a goal and recorded two assists during the 48-hour minor league assignment.
Drouin could make his debut instead Tuesday night in Calgary against the Flames, the team said.
• NHL gets it right with Slava Voynov's domestic violence suspension
After missing training camp with a thumb injury, Tampa Bay assigned Drouin to Syracuse instead of bringing him directly on to the Lightning roster. He is projected to earn significant minutes in the lineup this season, being eased in slowly to begin with on the third line, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Tampa Bay selected the 19-year-old from Quebec as the third overall pick of the 2013 NHL draft. If Drouin does in fact make his debut Tuesday he will be the seventh-youngest active player in the NHL.
- Will Green