Don’t be surprised if Yanni Gourde fetches Seattle first-round pick in trade

Credit: Nov 16, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde (37) celebrates after scoring a goal against the New York Islanders during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

We’re exactly seven weeks from the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline and we’ve got you covered at Daily Faceoff with at least one trade-focused story every day until Deadline Day.

Today we continue our player profile series with Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde, who is the No. 2 ranked player on our Trade Targets board. Gourde has been out of the Kraken lineup since Jan. 2 and GM Ron Francis said earlier this week that he’ll be out “at least a couple weeks.”

2025 Trade Deadline Countdown: 49 Days

YANNI GOURDE
Center, Seattle Kraken
Shoots: Left
Age: 33
Height: 5-foot-9 | Weight: 174 lbs
Cap Hit: $5.16 million
Term: Pending UFA
2024-25 Stats: 35 GP, 6 G, 10 A, 16 Pts, 15:35 TOI
Career Stats: 8th season (Tampa Bay / Seattle), 580 GP, 132 G, 200 A, 332 Pts
Best Year: 2017-18, 82 GP, 25 G, 39 A, 63 Pts, plus-34, 16:09 TOI
Playoffs: 5 appearances, 2 Stanley Cups (2020, 2021), 11 rounds won, 83 GP, 20 G, 22 A, 42 Pts

Archetype and Ideal Role

Swiss Army Knife, 4th line center

Gourde is a quality utility player; he can do a lot of different things. At this juncture in Gourde’s career, he is best suited in a bottom-six role either as fourth line center or third line winger depending on a team’s holes. He could be a significant contributor to an ‘identity’ line on a deep playoff run. Gourde can also contribute to a first or second penalty killing unit, plus fill in on a second power play

Scouting Report

Nothing has ever been handed to Gourde. He went undrafted, not on anyone’s radar in his NHL Draft year. Then he finished his QMJHL career in Victoriaville with a 124-point campaign as an overager, picking up MVP honors on top of leading the league in scoring. At 23, Gourde was slugging it out in the ECHL in San Francisco and Kalamazoo. That earned him a tryout contract in the AHL with the Worcester Sharks, where he caught the eye of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who signed him to a two-year entry-level contract. He made his NHL debut on his 24th birthday.

So, with that career arc, would it surprise you that Gourde is an elite competitor? He is a pest with skills. He is strong on both sides of the puck and plays with tenacity. Gourde is relied on in key situations, including defending leads with empty nets. One of his true strengths is getting to the net-front where he can be a handful to box out.

On top of his well-defined skillset, teams would be buying on his playoff experience and clutch contributions to Tampa Bay’s back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2020 and 2021. Gourde was a heart-and-soul player on that team, someone whom Jon Cooper saw fit to increase his ice time compared to the regular season. His playoff point production is very close to his regular season level (0.57 points per game to 0.51) and Gourde scored some incredibly timely goals. He has one playoff OT winner to his credit as well as one Stanley Cup Final game-winning goal. In each Cup run in Tampa Bay, he scored two GWGs to account for two of the 16 wins required to hoist Lord Stanley.

Buyer Beware

Gourde is now 33, so his straight line speed is on the decline. He’s still quick but definitely not as impactful, and that is something the Kraken have wrestled with under Dan Bylsma this season. NHL EDGE indicates a steady decline in Gourde’s top skating speed, speed bursts and shot speed. His ice time has dropped nearly two full minutes year over year and his point production has waned, now on track for potentially the least productive season of his career. Two of his six goals this season are empty-netters.

It is not just the volume of Gourde’s shots this season, but also the location, that is concerning. He has just 71 shot attempts in 35 games, and 38 of them are on-goal. Yet, more than half of those shot attempts are from mid and long-range, which are not high percentage for a guy who scores almost exclusively around the net.

Despite being known for his grit, Gourde is not an overly physical player. In Seattle, Gourde has averaged approximately five hits per 60 minutes, which levels out to just about one per game at even-strength.

One thing to keep a close eye on is Gourde’s health. This is his third stint out of the lineup this season. That could also help explain his drop in production and impact, if it’s something that has been lingering all season.

Potential Suitors

Toronto Maple Leafs: GM Brad Treliving acknowledged this week he is looking for a third line center and specifically pointed out that he wanted someone “reliable on both sides of the puck and can add offense.” Bingo.
Washington Capitals: The Caps tried to fill their 3C role with Lars Eller, but he isn’t quite up to speed at this point in his career. The optionality of both Gourde and Eller in the lineup, potentially moving Gourde to wing if need be, is interesting.
New Jersey Devils: The Devils are looking for an upgrade on Erik Haula and a way to increase their depth scoring. Gourde could fit on both fronts.
Colorado Avalanche: There’s no doubt the Avs value smart, gritty forwards – Arturri Lehkonen is a faster, more capable version of Gourde. He could be the exact type of stylistic fit for Jared Bednar’s lineup.
Utah Hockey Club: If the acquisition price is right, and Utah is in buyer mode, Gourde would make a lot of sense for the Utahns. They haven’t been afraid to bring in vets with Cup experience (see: Cole, Ian.)
Tampa Bay Lightning: GM Julien BriseBois went out and re-acquired Ryan McDonagh. Could another reunion be in the works? Gourde was a fan favorite. The salary cap gymnastics aren’t overly complicated, either.

Comparable Trade Returns

March 6, 2024
To NY Rangers: Alexander Wennberg (50 percent retained)
To Seattle: 2024 2nd Round Pick (No. 63 overall: Nathan Villeneuve), 2025 Cond. 4th Round Pick

March 6, 2024
To Edmonton: Adam Henrique (75 percent retained), Sam Carrick, 2024 7th Round Pick
To Anaheim: 2024 1st Round Pick (No. 31 overall: Ben Danford), 2025 Cond. 5th Round Pick
To Tampa Bay: 2025 Cond. 4th 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. 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.

Summary

No matter what Gourde’s game has looked like this season, teams are always clamoring for clutch players with Stanley Cup pedigree. With proper expectations set, Gourde can be a solid utility player that instantly improves team depth.

Daily Faceoff analyst Jon Goyens contributed to this report. Find him on Twitter: @gourmet_hockey

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