Yanni Gourde (© Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images)The Tampa Bay Lightning's season came to an end on April 30 with their Game 5 loss to the Florida Panthers. Overall, it was simply a tough post-season for the Lightning, and they are now set for a busy off-season because of it.
The Lightning are entering the off-season with several pending free agents, but forward Yanni Gourde is undoubtedly the most notable. If the 33-year-old forward is not signed to a new contract by July 1, he will become an unrestricted free agent. If he does hit the market, he would have the opportunity to sign with any team of his choosing.
However, when looking at how well Gourde fit back in after being brought back by the Lightning, it is fair to wonder if they will look to re-sign him, rather than letting him walk. In 21 regular-season games with the Lightning after being acquired from the Seattle Kraken, he recorded 14 points, 50 hits, and a plus-4 rating. Overall, the 10-year veteran provided some solid secondary scoring and plenty of grit, so there is undoubtedly a case there for the Lightning to keep him around. This is especially so when noting that he also kills penalties, too.
However, at the same time, the Lightning are entering this off-season with limited cap space, so they need to be careful with their spending. Furthermore, with how poorly their post-season went, it would also be understandable if they focused on bringing in new, younger talent this off-season instead.
Nevertheless, it is going to be very fascinating to see what the Lightning end up doing with Gourde from here. If they can find a way to make it work financially and it is not too long of a deal, it would make sense for them to keep Gourde around. However, time will tell if that comes to fruition from here.
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