By Sarah Jean Maher, Pierre LeBrun and Joe Smith
The Tampa Bay Lightning are acquiring forwards Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Seattle Kraken for a package that includes two first-round picks, league sources said Wednesday.
Tampa Bay will send Seattle 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, a 2025 second-round pick (the Toronto Maple Leafs’ pick) and forward Michael Eyssimont. The Kraken will also send the Lightning a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Gourde was No. 19 on The Athletic’s latest trade board, while Bjorkstrand was No. 23.
Gourde, 33, previously played with the Lightning from 2015 to 2021, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. Gourde was selected by the Kraken in the 2021 expansion draft ahead of their inaugural season and has since spent parts of four seasons with Seattle.
He returned to the lineup Tuesday for the first time since Jan. 2 after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia.
Seattle gets first round pick in 26, first round pick in 27, Toronto’s 2nd in ’25 and Eyssimont in trade with Tampa.
Bolts get Gourde and Bjokstrand plus 5th Rd pick in ’26— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 5, 2025
Bjorkstrand, 29, tallied a career-high 59 points for Seattle last season and has 16 goals and 21 assists in 61 games in 2024-25.
Eyssimont, 28, will join his fourth team in as many seasons after previous stints with the Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks.
Tampa held on to top prospects despite steep price
Gourde said there “were a lot of tears” shed and an emotional goodbye with the Lightning after the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft in 2021. But now a key piece on back-to-back Stanley Cup runs is back with Tampa Bay. Gourde — along with Bjorkstrand — can really help solidify the team’s middle six, the one area where the Lightning didn’t have as much depth.
The price tag was high, including two first round picks, but GM Julien BriseBois hasn’t been afraid to use those as assets for key additions at the deadline (see Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman). After back to back first round losses, the Lightning are determined to break through again with a core they feel still has an open championship window.
The blueline was bolstered over the summer, largely by bringing back Ryan McDonagh, and Gourde’s return should give them a pretty decent bump too. Gourde is a pending UFA and Bjorkstrand has another year left on his deal. While the Lightning traded significant draft capital, they didn’t have to lose any of their top prospects (like Isaac Howard or Conor Geekie) from their already shallow prospect pool. — Joe Smith, NHL senior writer
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(Photo: Danny Wild / Imagn Images)
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