Lightning GM Yzerman would prefer to trade Drouin 'sooner than later'

If Steve Yzerman gets his wish, Jonathan Drouin will not be a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning come the NHL's Feb. 29 trade deadline.

"I definitely prefer to deal him sooner than later, it would be better for everyone," the Lightning general manager told the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday.

"A lot of things factor into it when making the trade, a lot of things to consider here. But number one is, 'Can I do something involving Jonathan that benefits the team that makes us better right now that helps us for the playoffs?' I'd certainly like to do that."

Yzerman has targeted an area of need as his team prepares for another playoff run.

"If I could do something to help our power play, I'd like to do that," he said. "And that's going to be difficult to do."

Why? Because the Lightning are close to the salary-cap ceiling, and Drouin's still on his cost-effective entry-level contract.

"It's not just our salary cap, it's the team that you're trying to make a deal with salary cap too," Yzerman said. "That's what everybody doesn't really understand. When trying to make a deal involving players and contracts, it's got to work for both teams. It's not just mine. It proves challenging for everyone."

Drouin, who made a trade request back in November, was suspended by the Lightning on Jan. 20 for failing to report for an AHL game.

While there's believed to be several teams around the league interested in acquiring the young forward, it remains to be seen whether a deal can be pulled off prior to 3 p.m. ET on Monday.