We had heard whispers that the NHL Trade Deadline might be quieter than expected for the Seattle Kraken. But that theory was emphatically debunked Wednesday when Elliotte Friedman and Pierre LeBrun reported that the Kraken were working on a deal to send veteran forwards Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In return, the Kraken are reportedly receiving a bounty: the Lightning’s first-round draft picks in 2026 and 2027, Toronto’s second-round pick in the upcoming draft, and depth forward Michael Eyssimont, who is on an expiring contract. Lebrun has indicated that Detroit is involved in facilitating the deal, retaining 25 percent of Gourde’s contract, and that Seattle will retain half of his contract. The Kraken are also sending their 2026 fifth-round pick to Tampa Bay.
(Update: It is worth noting that the first-round picks are top-10 protected. If either ends up being a lottery pick, then the Lightning will have the option of sliding them back to 2028 and 2029).
Still, that is a massive return, especially considering Gourde has been playing exclusively on the fourth line and is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Getting three high draft picks was not the type of return we envisioned general manager Ron Francis to be seeking at this deadline, but the beauty of this deal is that those assets can now be used as currency to improve the roster—either in the coming days or during the offseason.
Gourde and Bjorkstrand will be missed
While this was a deal the Kraken couldn’t pass up, we will certainly miss Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The Maestro and the Pepperpot have both had some magical moments with the organization, from Bjorkstrand’s two-goal performance in Game 7 of Seattle’s lone playoff series win over the Colorado Avalanche to Gourde’s ever-present, mid-scrum smiles.
Assuming he doesn’t sign back in Seattle after the season (which remains a possibility), Gourde closes his Kraken tenure with 52 goals and 94 assists in 271 games over four seasons. He now returns to the only other NHL franchise he has played for as Tampa Bay gears up for a playoff run. Before leaving via the 2021 Expansion Draft, Gourde recorded 80 goals and 107 assists in 310 games with the Lightning, winning two Stanley Cups along the way.
Bjorkstrand, acquired in a trade with Columbus during the 2022 offseason for just a third- and fourth-round pick, tallied 56 goals and 85 assists in 224 games with Seattle. He has one year remaining on his contract, which will pay him $5.4 million next season.
Michael Eyssimont incoming
We will wait to hear from Francis later this week on the reasoning behind acquiring Eyssimont, but our guess is that it was a “warm body” move to help make the dollars work for Tampa Bay. It reminds us of how Daniel Sprong was thrown into the deal with the Capitals at the 2021-22 deadline, when Marcus Johansson was traded away. Sprong arrived with few expectations but ended up earning a role.
Like Gourde, Eyssimont is a depth forward on an expiring contract. He can help fill the void left in Seattle’s roster by playing fourth-line center down the stretch if needed.
The 6-foot-0, 191-pound forward has 10 points (5-5—10) in 57 games for the Lightning this season. He has played limited minutes, averaging just 10:41 per game, but that’s on a stacked Tampa Bay roster.
Darren Brown
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email darren@soundofhockey.com.