Seattle Kraken Trade Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand in a Blockbuster Deal
The Seattle Kraken have decided to throw their name into the trade deadline craziness, and have traded away two top candidates to an Atlantic contender.
With the deadline creeping up on us, NHL teams are working towards getting deals done, and figuring out the best roster for their playoff push. We've seen Seth Jones traded recently, as well as depth pieces Trent Frederic and Vitek Vanecek all find new homes in the past few days, as things start to pick up.
The Seattle Kraken aren't going to be left out of the fun however. GM Ron Francis made a big move on Wednesday as he sends off some veterans to an Atlantic Division contender; and no it's not the Maple Leafs.
The Kraken have sent both Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for at the very least, two first round picks according to Elliotte Friedman.
The price alone sitting at two first rounders is a massive cost, and could be seen as an overpayment; especially if Tampa falls in the first round.
But it gets wilder. Seattle gets three picks in addition to prospect Michael Eyssimont for Gourde and Bjorkstrand.
It's Gourde's return to the Lightning after winning two Cups with them back in 2020 and 2021 as Tampa Bay looks to beef up their roster with a familiar name who can fit perfectly into their system.
Bjorkstrand will add some additional offense to the Lightning and will give them yet another threat in addition to Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, and Brandon Hagel among others.
It's a savvy move from GM Ron Francis to trade away some expensive veterans and be able to recoup some very vital assets.
Gourde, 33, makes his way back to the team where he won back to back Cups and was the x-factor for the team in the playoffs, scoring 21 points in 48 games but also having four game winners.
This season has been a bit injury prone for Gourde however, and has only put in 17 points in 36 games (6G, 11A). He is making $5.1M for the rest of the season though it's unknown if Seattle is retaining salary.
Bjorkstrand, 29, has been a very solid offensive contributor for the Kraken this season and offers head coach Jon Cooper a lot of versatility.
In 61 games he has 16 goals and 21 assists while adding solid defense, physicality, and special teams to the Lightning's lineup.
Bjorkstrand makes $5.4M and is in the fourth year of his five-year pact he signed in 2021.
