Lightning send Jonathan Drouin to minors

Jonathan Drouin's supposed breakout season is at least temporarily on hold.

The Tampa Bay Lightning winger was sent down to Syracuse of the American Hockey League on Saturday.

Drouin has registered on the scoresheet once over the last 15 games after a hot start saw him record six points in the first five games of the season.

He's been in and out of the lineup with injuries for the better portion of the last two months, and, as a result, may not be completely up to speed. He was minus-2 in a loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday, his first appearance in 20 days.

The Tampa Tribune's Erik Erlendsson, however, suggests his assignment is not for conditioning purposes.