At the 2025 NHL trade deadline, the Tampa Bay Lightning made a significant move. They acquired forward Oliver Bjorkstrand and old friend Yanni Gourde from the Seattle Kraken in a three-team trade that also included the Detroit Red Wings.
With the Lightning needing more secondary offensive production, it was not surprising in the slightest that they brought in Bjorkstrand and Gourde from the Kraken. Bjorkstrand will be more than a rental for the Bolts, too, as he is signed until the end of the 2025-26 season. Yet, when it comes to Gourde, it is not a guarantee that he will stay a Bolt beyond this season.
Gourde, 33, is currently in the final season of his contract and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. However, when looking at how perfectly Gourde has fit into the Lightning's system during his second stint with the club, they should work hard to sign him to a contract extension.
Gourde has been quite impactful since returning to the Lightning, posting 14 points, 50 hits, and a plus-4 rating in 21 regular-season games since the trade. With this, he has not only given the Lightning more offense but also plenty of grit in the process. In addition, he has been rewarded for his strong play, as he has been on the top line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov.
The Lightning missed Gourde tremendously when they lost him in the 2021 NHL expansion draft to the Kraken, so they should work hard to avoid losing him again. He is exactly the kind of scrappy middle-six forward they should be keeping around, and it will be intriguing to see if they can extend him from here.
In 331 games over his two stints with the Lightning, Gourde has 81 goals, 201 points, 332 hits, and a plus-52 rating. He also, of course, was a key part of the Lightning's 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup championships.
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