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Yanni Gourde

Lightning Sign Yanni Gourde To Six-Year Contract

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have committed to their core, signing center Yanni Gourde to a lofty six-year, $13.98MM contract extension. The deal will carry Gourde through his age-39 season and carries an annual average value (AAV) of $2.33MM.

Gourde will take a substantial pay cut for the benefit of term on his new deal. He concluded a six-year, $31MM contract – with an annual salary of $5.17MM – this season. The deal was originally signed with the Lightning in 2019, though he was claimed by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. He wound up spending four years of his last deal in Seattle, before a trade at the 2025 Trade Deadline returned him to Tampa Bay alongside winger Oliver Bjorkstrand.

Now, Gourde will lock up his foreseeable future in Tampa Bay. He’s already won two Stanley Cups with the club; serving as a pivotal piece of the club’s back-to-back wins in 2020 and 2021. Gourde defined his dominant two-way style in playoff games with Tampa Bay, and added to it 14 points in 25 games of the 2020 run and seven points in 23 games of the 2021 run. All the while, he served a key role as the defensive backing to high-offense centers like Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos.

It’s that two-way, middle-six role that Gourde will continue in moving forward. He scored a modest seven goals and 31 points in 57 games this season, including 14 points in 21 games after returning to Tampa Bay. That scoring total put Gourde on pace for 45 points across the full season; a mark that would fall closely in-line with his typical scoring pace. He has routinely rivaled 40 points in his healthy seasons, and even managed back-to-back 48-point seasons with Seattle in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Gourde’s career continues to stand as a testament to what a relentless mindset can earn. He was left undrafted through the 2010, 2011, and 2012 classes – and made his pro debut in 2012 on a minor-league contract. He earned a demotion to the ECHL for parts of the 2012-13 and 2013-14 season, but found unique ways to play through contact and make his 5-foot-9, 175-pound frame stick out. Gourde earned his way back into the AHL where he continued through the 2016-17 season.

Then, he broke out in a dazzling way. Even through Cup wins and a defined lineup role, Gourde’s first full season in the NHL in 2017-18 continues to stand as his career-year. He managed career-highs across the board, netting 25 goals, 39 assists, and 64 points while appearing in all 82 games of Tampa Bay’s season. The marks landed Gourde fourth on the team in total scoring at the end of the regular season, behind three players likely headed for the Hall of Fame in Nikita Kucherov, Stamkos, and Point.

Gourde caught lightning with his smooth-faced season in Tampa Bay – and has since found a way to turn it into 602 games and a decade-long career in the NHL. This new deal will carry him through the bulk of the next decade, and surely the entirety of his remaining career. No matter how Tampa Bay ebbs and flows over the next six years, Gourde’s growth from ECHL scorer to NHL lock will undoubtedly go down as a tremendous triumph against all odds.

Lightning Notes: Bjorkstrand, Hagel, Hedman, Other Injuries, Howard, Cooper

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The Lightning played their short-lived 2025 playoff schedule against the Panthers with an extremely banged-up roster (more on that later). One player who wasn’t available at all during the series was trade deadline acquisition Oliver Bjorkstrand. Speaking today during his end-of-season media availability, general manager Julien BriseBois said Bjorkstrand developed compartment syndrome following a game against the Red Wings on April 11 and had emergency surgery early the following morning (via the team’s Benjamin Pierce).

That’s obviously a much more serious ailment than what the Bolts initially let on. He was declared week-to-week with a lower-body injury ahead of their final three regular-season games, but no information was dispensed following that. Acute compartment syndrome occurs due to increased pressure in and around muscles following an injury and can be life-threatening if not treated quickly, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Bjorkstrand is thankfully expected to be ready for training camp in the fall, BriseBois said. He finished the year with 5-4–9 in 18 games after Tampa acquired him from the Kraken, and he has one year left on his deal at a $5.4MM cap hit.

More on the Lightning:

  • Brandon Hagel confirmed he sustained a concussion on the hit from Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad in Game 4 that ended his series, Jay Recher relays. Ekblad was suspended two games for the hit and will miss Game 1 of the second round against Toronto as a result. Hagel, who was limited to a minus-four rating in three games of the series due to his injury and a previous suspension, added that Ekblad didn’t approach him beforehand to discuss a retaliatory fight for Hagel’s suspension-causing hit on Florida captain Aleksander Barkov, nor has Ekblad reached out to Hagel following his concussion. “I would have answered the bell if someone would have said, ’Let’s fight,'” Hagel said. “I don’t care if I would have got my ass kicked. I have to respond to a situation. I understood it was the case” (via Loux).
  • Captain Victor Hedman played the last two games of the series on a broken foot, BriseBois said (via Diandra Loux of The Hockey News). He’ll be ready for camp in the fall after recording three assists and a minus-six rating in the series.
  • Other Bolts playing through injuries were Anthony Cirelli (Grade 2 MCL sprain), Luke Glendening (right shoulder AC joint separation), Nikita Kucherov (left hand extensor), Nick Paul (left wrist tear), and Yanni Gourde (broken finger), Brisebois told reporters. Like Bjorkstrand and Hedman, they’re all expected to be ready for training camp in the fall, although Glendening and Gourde are pending unrestricted free agents and may not be back with the team.
  • BriseBois confirmed a report last month from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that they’re unlikely to sign 2022 first-round pick Isaac Howard to an entry-level contract (via Recher). They’ll focus on trading his signing rights over the next year while he returns to Michigan State for his senior season. If they can’t sign or trade the Hobey Baker winner’s rights by Aug. 15, 2026, and he becomes an unrestricted free agent, the Lightning will receive a compensatory 2027 second-round pick (No. 65 overall) for failing to sign a first-round draft choice.
  • Head coach Jon Cooper will serve out the final season of his contract in Tampa despite recent speculation otherwise, BriseBois said (via Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times). “When this contract ends, my expectation is he’s going sign another one and he’s going to be here…So Coop will be back next year, and I expect beyond,” BriseBois said.

Snapshots: Protas, DeMelo, Lightning, Miettinen

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5:30 PM: Protas will not play in Game 3 on Friday, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. He will target a Game 4 return, while the Capitals will continue forward with Taylor Raddysh in the lineup.

4:00 PM: The Washington Capitals could be in store for a major addition to their postseason lineup, as top forward Aliaksei Protas continues to work his way back from a foot injury. Protas returned to full-contact practice on Friday morning and could step back into the lineup in Game 3, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. He has missed Washington’s last eight games after being cut by a skate on April 4th.

Protas was on the tail end of a loud breakout season at the time of his injury. He ranked third on the Capitals in scoring at the time, with 30 goals and 66 points in 75 games. He’s confidently lapped the six goals and 29 points he scored in 78 games last season. That rise in scoring has been largely helped along by Protas’ shooting percentage rising from 5.3 percent to 21.1 percent this season. But despite the inflated shooting percentage, Protas looked perfectly at home in the Capitals’ top-six and should return to a major role as soon as he’s back to full health. Protas recorded two assists in four playoff games last season – and will look to carry his booming shooting percentage into must-win games.

Other quick notes from around the league:

  • It has been revealed that Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo missed Game 3 due to illness per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Jets were bullied by the St. Louis Blues in DeMelo’s absence, dropping their first game of the postseason with a 7-3 loss. DeMelo was a major part of the Jets gameplan through Game 1 and 2. He averaged over 20 minutes of ice time between the two games and recorded one assist and a plus-two. DeMelo appeared in all 82 games of the Jets’ regular season. He scored 19 points and averaged 21:31 in ice time. Veteran defenseman Colin Miller stepped into the lineup for DeMelo and recorded one assist. But the Jets weren’t able to make up for the booming physical presence DeMelo brings. They’ll hope for a quick return to health before Game 4 on Sunday.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning fans can breathe a sigh of relief after head coach Jon Cooper shared that both Yanni Gourde and Anthony Cirelli are expected to stay in the lineup, per NHL.com’s Benjamin Pierce. Both players missed Friday morning’s practice for undisclosed reasons. Neither player has found any scoring through two playoff games so far, though they’ve continued to serve physical roles from the team’s second-line. The band could be without their third in Tampa Bay’s next matchup, with left-winger Brandon Hagel facing a suspension after a dirty hit on Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.
  • Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen has signed an amateur try-out with the Coachella Valley Firebirds for the remainder of the season per the AHL Transactions Log. Miettinen sustained a lower-body injury at the World Junior Championship that held him out of a handful of games. Even through the injury, he managed a strong 11 goals and 39 points in 36 WHL game this season – a 0.06 point-per-game increase over his 67 points in 66 games last season. The six-foot-three Finn will bring a boost of heft and instinctive offense to the Firebirds lineup as they prepare for a series against the Calgary Wranglers.

Tampa Bay Lightning Acquire Oliver Bjorkstrand, Yanni Gourde

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The Tampa Bay Lightning announced a whopping trade a few days before the deadline. The full trade details are as follows:

  • Tampa Bay acquires F Yanni Gourde (50% retained by Seattle, 25% retained by Detroit), F Oliver Bjorkstrand, the signing rights to D Kyle Aucoin, and Seattle’s 2025 fifth-round pick
  • Seattle acquires F Michael Eyssimont, Tampa Bay’s 2026 first-round pick, Tampa Bay’s 2027 first-round pick, and Toronto’s 2025 second-round pick
  • Detroit acquires a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick (the highest selection between Tampa Bay or Edmonton’s 2025 fourth-round pick)

As a final note on the two first-round picks headed to Seattle, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that both are top-10 protected. If either of the picks are in the top-10, they slide back one year, theoretically meaning they could slide back to the 2028 or 2029 NHL Draft. If that happens to either draft selection, the Lightning will send a third-round pick to the Kraken for any year that it happens.

Tampa opened up some roster flexibility today after waiving forwards Cam Atkinson and Logan Brown on Tuesday, but the moves will only open $900K in cap space. We now know that the Lightning brought in the Detroit Red Wings as a third party for the deal, as they’ll help bring Gourde’s cap hit down to $1.29MM after retention.

Given the package returning to Seattle, this deal will inevitably have a downstream effect on the market. Although Bjorkstrand himself isn’t a rental, it’s a massive price to pay for two players projected to play in the Lightning’s middle-six. It’s a heavy price, but Tampa Bay is gambling that Gourde and Bjorkstrand will be more valuable than two draft picks later in the first round.

Still, aside from the price, it’s not easy to hypothesize better additions for the Lightning. Gourde returns to the organization where he won two Stanley Cup rings in 2020 and 2021 after a four-year hiatus in Washington state.

At the time of writing, Tampa Bay is 10th in the NHL with an 81.05% penalty kill and 18th with a team faceoff percentage of 50.32%. Furthermore, aside from the topical statistics, they are 16th in the NHL with a 50.5% CorsiFor% at even strength. Gourde is expected to help in all three areas.

He’ll carry a 50.8% faceoff rate and a 52.2% CorsiFor% at even strength into his first game back with the Lightning. The move will also allow Tampa Bay to move Nick Paul to the second line and give Gourde third-line minutes next to a combination of different wingers. Given the firepower at the top of Tampa Bay’s forward core, Gourde won’t be counted upon as much for offense, which could even help improve his play on the defensive side of the puck.

The deal’s benefits don’t end there for Tampa. If the Lightning believe Paul is better suited on the third line, Bjorkstrand can immediately step into the second line. Dating back to his tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Bjorkstand can generally be relied upon for 20 goals and 30 to 40 assists a year. Bjorkstrand is only one year removed from the best offensive production of his career, scoring 20 goals and 59 points for the Kraken in 82 contests.

Similarly to Gourde, Bjorkstrand is a solid possession player, evidenced by his career CorsiFor% of 52.0% at even strength. Given that Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli have scored 30 and 20 goals already this season, respectively, Bjorkstrand will be an effective playmaker to put alongside them.

The only roster player headed to Seattle is Eyssimont. He’s spent the last three years as a bottom-six forward for the Lightning and is only one year removed from a career campaign himself. Eyssimont scored 11 goals and 25 points in 81 games for Tampa Bay last season, averaging 11:51 of ice time per game. Unfortunately, he hasn’t lived up to those standards this year, scoring five goals and 10 points in 51 contests, averaging 10:41 of ice time per game.

Meanwhile, the Kraken are on the horizon of complementing an already deep prospect pool. Seattle will have nine picks in the top 64 of the next three NHL Drafts alone. Should the Lightning continue winning, those first-round picks won’t fall till later. Still, it’s always better to have two picks in the first round rather than one.

The impact of this deal on the trade market cannot be overstated. Many have perceived that this year’s deadline has become a seller’s market, and this trade solidifies that notion. Clear-cut buyers such as the Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Winnipeg Jets may have more difficulty improving their roster after this trade. Additionally, teams on the playoff bubble may have an easier time buying and selling before Friday’s deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports images. 

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Tampa Bay was working on acquiring Gourde and Bjorkstrand from Seattle. 

Friedman was the first to report that Seattle was acquiring two first-round picks in the deal. 

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun was the first to report a majority of the trade details.

LeBrun was the first to report salary retention details and Detroit’s involvement.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed to this article. 

Seattle Kraken Activate Yanni Gourde, Reassign Ben Meyers

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The Seattle Kraken have a healthy roster for the first time since the beginning of the season. Ahead of tonight’s contest against the Minnesota Wild, the Kraken announced they’ve activated Yanni Gourde from the long-term injured reserve. In a corresponding roster move, Seattle reassigned Ben Meyers to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

After undergoing surgery to repair a hernia on the last day of January, Gourde’s projected recovery timeline was approximately five to seven weeks. On the shorter end of the spectrum, it was believed Gourde would return on March 7th at the earliest possible time, but he’ll beat that projection by a few days.

Gourde has been an oft-mentioned trade candidate throughout deadline season, even through his surgery recovery. He’s on the last season of a six-year, $31MM contract and may come a lot cheaper should the Kraken retain 50% of his remaining salary in a hypothetical trade. Given that anything can change during this time of the NHL calendar, it’s also unsurprising that TSN’s Pierre LeBrun mentioned a few days ago that Seattle hasn’t shut the door on an extension for Gourde.

Unfortunately, Gourde will return to one of the worst offensive seasons of his career. The two-time Stanley Cup champion has six goals and 16 points in 35 games with the Kraken this year. The one-month absence won’t help him much in expanding those totals, but he still has plenty of value on the defensive side of the puck.

Since becoming a full-time player for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2017-18 campaign, Gourde has maintained a 48.9% success rate in the faceott dot. He’s mildly beating that performance this year with a 49.9% rate. Additionally, Gourde is again averaging approximately one blocked shot and two hits per game. His metrics are solid, too, with a 51.4% CorsiFor% at even strength and an impressive 97.9% on-ice save percentage at even strength. If any contending team is looking for a consistent bottom-six center — Gourde should be their target.

Meanwhile, Meyers returns to Coachella Valley after a brief call-up. He’s gone scoreless over seven games with the Kraken this season, averaging 8:10 of ice time per game. He’s been understandably better at the AHL level, scoring 19 goals and 40 points in 45 games for the Firebirds.

Morning Notes: O’Reilly, Gourde, Evans

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The Nashville Predators are reportedly listening to trade offers on veteran center Ryan O’Reilly (as per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic). The Predators aren’t in a hurry to move the 34-year-old as he still has two years left on his current contract at $4.5MM per season and continues to provide strong two-way play, despite his offensive production dipping this season. O’Reilly is just a year removed from posting 69 points in 82 games and has put up points at a reasonable rate this year with 14 goals and 22 assists in 56 games.

The Predators aren’t actively trying to trade the Clinton, Ontario native, but it does sound as though they are open to doing so if they receive a trade offer that is to their liking. They currently sit 16 points out of a playoff spot but have many veterans inked to long term deals and are unlikely to initiate a rebuild anytime soon.

In other morning notes:

  • The Seattle Kraken have not closed the door on re-signing pending free agent center Yanni Gourde (as per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic). Gourde is out of the lineup at the moment recovering from successful sports hernia surgery and has not played since January 2nd. He is expected to return before the NHL Trade Deadline and could be moved if Seattle can’t sign him to an extension. The situation is not unlike that of Jordan Eberle last year, who lingered on trade boards up until he signed a two-year extension to remain in Seattle.
  • The Montreal Canadiens are reportedly open to keeping forward Jake Evans and won’t just move him for the sake of trading him (as per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic). Montreal remains in the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference, sitting just three points back of Detroit for the final Wild Card spot and has plenty of draft picks at their disposal. The Canadiens have reportedly communicated their willingness to hang onto the 28-year-old Evans, who is set to become a UFA on July 1st.  LeBrun believes that Winnipeg, New Jersey, Minnesota, Toronto and Edmonton are among the teams that have inquired about Evans.

Seattle Kraken Move Yanni Gourde To LTIR, Recall Cale Fleury

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The Seattle Kraken needed to make a cap-saving roster move assuming they activate forward Jordan Eberle from the LTIR for their game tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers. Seattle made the transaction today, announcing they’ve moved forward Yanni Gourde to the LTIR and recalled defenseman Cale Fleury from their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Gourde is still recovering from a sports hernia injury that could keep him out past the trade deadline. The popular trade target is in the last season of a six-year, $31MM contract originally signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018.

Given his status as a pending unrestricted free agent, the Kraken’s ability to retain up to 50% of his salary, and Gourde’s solid work as a defensively minded center, it was almost a given that he would be moved at the deadline. Unfortunately, because he hasn’t seen game action since January 2nd and the likelihood of his recovery extending past the deadline, Seattle may be lucky to recoup even a mid-round pick for Gourde’s services.

Still, it wouldn’t be unheard of for a contending team to acquire an injured player. The Minnesota Wild traded a 2023 fifth-round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for then-injured forward Gustav Nyquist in 2023. Nyquist eventually joined the Wild with three games remaining in the regular season scoring one goal and five points. His point production carried into the playoffs tallying five assists in six games.

Only time will tell if Seattle pulls the trigger on a Gourde trade. A month into the 2024-25 season, the Kraken began receiving serious interest in Gourde, but general manager Ron Francis rebuffed those inquiries—a decision that has not aged well.

Fleury returns to the Pacific Northwest for the first time in two weeks. He’s been an oft-taxied defenseman for the Kraken this season who’ve surprisingly only had to waive him once because of serious salary cap-finagling. He’s tallied one assist in seven games averaging 12:20 of ice time throughout his fourth season with the organization.

Kraken’s Yanni Gourde Out Five To Seven Weeks Following Sports Hernia Surgery

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One of the more popular rental candidates for the trade deadline will be on the shelf for some time. The Seattle Kraken announced Yanni Gourde will miss the next five to seven weeks after undergoing successful sports hernia surgery.

It’s a difficult situation for both the player and the team. He’ll return on the day of the trade deadline, March 7th, should he miss the minimum amount of time.

Gourde has once again faced challenges this year offensively. He has scored six goals and recorded 16 points in 35 games, significantly lower than his performance two years ago when he achieved 14 goals and 48 points. His average ice time has decreased by nearly two minutes, but he has maintained a solid success rate in the faceoff circle.

If he’s traded before the deadline, he’ll likely command far less than he otherwise would. It’s reminiscent of the situation the Columbus Blue Jackets found themselves in when they traded the injured Gustav Nyquist to the Minnesota Wild for a 2023 fifth-round pick.

Given his ability to play effective minutes in the bottom six, being a two-time Stanley Cup champion, and the fact that he’s an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, Gourde should still command some interest toward the deadline. If the Kraken eats half of his salary for the remainder of his season, Gourde should potentially fetch a later-round pick.

West Notes: Sergachev, Kuzmenko, Gourde, De Leo

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Utah will be missing its top defenseman tonight against St. Louis as the team announced (Twitter link) that Mikhail Sergachev will not play due to an upper-body injury.  He left the morning skate early and is listed as day-to-day.  The 26-year-old has impressed in his first season with the team after being acquired from Tampa Bay at the draft, playing big minutes in all situations while posting 30 points in 45 games.  Sergachev is averaging 25:45 per game, second to only Columbus blueliner Zach Werenski in that regard.  Taking his place in the lineup will be recent waiver claim Nick DeSimone.

More from out West:

  • Heading into the season, Flames winger Andrei Kuzmenko felt like a probable trade candidate. It was expected that Calgary would be rebuilding and they hoped he’d bounce back after a tough 2023-24 performance.  Neither has happened, however, as the Flames are in a battle for the playoffs and Kuzmenko has struggled even more.  Accordingly, even though they’d likely welcome the open roster spot, Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Herald opines that the 28-year-old is unlikely to move.  At $5.5MM, Calgary would have to retain salary to move him and since he only has one goal and nine assists in 32 games, they may not get more than a late-round pick even with retention, meaning it might be the best usage of a retention slot and money.  Kuzmenko had 74 points in 2022-23 and 46 last season; even getting to half of that this year is now in question.
  • Kraken center Yanni Gourde has yet to progress to on-ice work as he continues to battle a lower-body injury, head coach Dan Bylsma told reporters including Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). However, that shouldn’t be construed as a lack of progression as Bylsma said Gourde’s recovery is still moving along.  Gourde has been battling this injury off and on this season and it appears they’ll give him ample time for it to try to heal once and for all.
  • Nashville’s farm team in Milwaukee has claimed winger Chase De Leo off waivers from Charlotte, the AHL announced. Waivers are extremely rare in the minors but if a player plays overseas and then signs as a free agent as De Leo did (with stints in the KHL and Switzerland), he has to go through waivers before playing.  De Leo has 349 points in 494 career AHL games, giving the Predators a quality veteran for the Admirals with this claim.

West Notes: Nichushkin, Arvidsson, Gourde

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The Avalanche could have a key winger back in the near future as head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link) that Valeri Nichushkin is getting close to returning.  He has been out since suffering a lower-body injury at the end of December.  He also missed the first month of the campaign while being in the Player Assistance Program but when he has been in the lineup, Nichushkin has been quite productive.  He has 11 goals and six assists through 21 games so far this season, good for eighth in team scoring despite missing more than half of their games.

Elsewhere out West:

  • Oilers winger Viktor Arvidsson left yesterday’s game against Colorado late in the third after blocking a shot. However, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the undisclosed injury isn’t believed to be too serious.  That’s certainly good news for Edmonton as the 31-year-old has been a solid performer for them when healthy.  While he missed 15 games earlier in the campaign with an undisclosed injury, Arvidsson has picked up 15 points in 30 games thus far, giving them some much-needed secondary scoring.
  • Given the number of teams believed to be looking for center help, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli believes that the Kraken could be able to receive a first-round pick for pending UFA middleman Yanni Gourde. It has been a fairly quiet year for the 33-year-old who has six goals and ten assists in 35 games thus far.  However, as someone who can kill penalties, play an important defensive role, play the wing if needed, and has a track record of some playoff success, Gourde is sure to receive significant interest.  However, Seattle will almost certainly have to pay down the contract, one that carries a $5.167MM price tag that few contenders can afford.

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