Kraken Center Could Fetch A First-Round Pick

Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff believes Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde could fetch a first-round pick at this year's trade deadline.

Gourde is currently dealing with a lower-body injury that has held him out of the lineup since Jan. 2, and GM Ron Francis believes it will be "at least a couple weeks depending on what we find". It's expected that Gourde will be moved at the deadline due to his pending UFA status. 

As of now, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vegas Golden Knights are reportedly interested in acquiring Gourde. Seravalli believes they may have to cough up a first-round pick.

"Those are the goal posts for Ron Francis to kick through on Gourde – both executed on the same day, two days prior to the deadline last March," said Seravalli. "One of those deals, he was involved himself in sending Wennberg east to the Rangers. Both Henrique and Wennberg are centers, like Gourde. Interestingly, neither Henrique nor Wennberg has a career-best point total as high as Gourde at 64 points and neither has the Stanley Cup pedigree. And like Gourde, there were plenty of questions about Henrique’s foot speed last season. In other words, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Gourde produces a late first-round pick in return – particularly in a draft year that isn’t as highly thought of by the scouting community as years past in terms of depth."

Gourde is now 33 years old and the Kraken have slim to no chance of climbing their way back into the playoff race. Management could be considering shifting to a developmental phase and Gourde would not fit that timeline. 

Capitalizing on his value now would be a big win for the Kraken and acquiring a first-round pick could be vital for their future.

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