Yzerman would reportedly prefer to trade Drouin to the Western Conference

Shocker: If Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman is going to trade Jonathan Drouin, he'd reportedly prefer to send the 20-year-old to the Western Conference.

"That doesn't exclude teams from the east; it just means Eastern Conference clubs will have to pay a premium to get in the game," TSN's Darren Dreger writes.

Drouin's agent went public last week with a trade request made in November, sending shockwaves throughout the league. The third overall pick in 2013 is now in the AHL and is set to play three games in a row this weekend, beginning Friday night.

Related: 3 potential landing spots for Drouin

In 19 games with the Lightning this season, Drouin scored twice and added six assists. Yzerman's "in no rush" to trade the disgruntled forward, Dreger adds.

The NHL trade deadline is Feb. 29 at 3 p.m. ET. Tampa Bay's two points out of a wild-card spot in the East heading into Friday night's game against the Edmonton Oilers.