The June 15 deal in which the Lightning traded emerging star forward Jonathan Drouin to the Canadiens for the Habs top prospect, 19-year-old defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, remains an intriguing one, and will be evaluated for years to come by those who want to stamp one team the winner and the other a loser.
Early returns favor the Lightning, primarily because of the team's overall success and how Sergachev slots perfectly into a top-four role on the blue line. Meanwhile, Drouin struggles to find his groove with a disappointing Canadiens team, further coloring the early impressions of this trade.
Thursday's 3-1 Lightning victory over the Canadiens was a microcosm of what's happened this season for both teams. Tampa Bay, with Sergachev playing a solid two-way game, won for the league-leading 27th time already this season. Montreal, with Drouin providing little impact, lost their third straight, second in as many nights, and remain eight points out of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Just as he was the more-recognizable name in last summer's trade, Drouin's first return to Tampa Bay overshadowed another steady winning performance by Sergachev.
"It was very nice," Drouin said of the reception he received from Lightning fans, who chose to remember his 21-goal breakout last season and not his trade request the year before.
Both players were in the starting lineup. Drouin won the opening face off -- though he still looks uncomfortable in the middle as opposed to the wing -- while Sergachev soon had the puck on his stick, paired on defense with veteran Dan Girardi.
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Perhaps the more fitting moment was Drouin unable to contain Brayden Point 30 seconds into the third period as Point scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
"We know points are slipping away," stated Drouin after the latest loss. "You're getting close to January, February..when you don't have at least an over. 500 record, you know you're in trouble."
Drouin has just five goals and 18 points in 32 games for a Habs team desperate for offense. The Canadiens score the third-fewest goals per game on average in the NHL. Losing Alex Radulov in the offseason did not help, and neither has the addition of Drouin. At least not yet. He has the skill and personalty to be a big-time player in Montreal. It just hasn't happened yet.
Sergachev, who benefits from playing on a better team than Sergachev, is a legitimate Calder Trophy candidate. He averages more than 15 minutes of ice time per game and has 23 points, tied with New Jersey's Will Butcher for most among rookie defensemen -- and tied for eighth among all rookies. He also has ten power play points, tied for fourth on the Lightning and fifth among all NHL rookies.
"To be honest, I thought (Drouin) was playing at the peak of his development by the end of last year," Cooper told The Tampa Bay Times. "I remember when the trade officially happened, thinking, ‘Oh, boy, somebody is getting a player that’s starting to come into his own.’
"But we had to look at our team, and if there was an area where we had a little bit of depth, it was up front. And we needed players on the back end, and that one worked out well for us."
Early returns favor the Lightning. When it's all said and done, both teams likely will feel good about this deal. It still has all the makings of a win-win, respective teams getting what they need for years to come -- though it will always remain true that the Lightning dealt more from a position of strength than Montreal did.