A huge trade Wednesday of winger Oliver Bjorkstrand and pending unrestricted free agent center Yanni Gourde to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a pair of top-10 protected first-round draft picks in 2026 and 2027 signifies the continued evolution of a Kraken franchise now in its fourth season.
The three-way deal, which also involves the Detroit Red Wings, further sees the Kraken acquire Tampa Bay forward Michael Eyssimont, 28, who will join the team in Nashville for Thursday’s game against the Predators. Gourde was originally dealt to Detroit in the trade ahead of being shipped to Tampa Bay, with the Red Wings assuming 50% of his roughly $1.29 million in remaining salary for this season in return for a draft pick from the Lightning.
The Kraken also sent Tampa Bay a fifth-round pick in 2026. The moves come ahead of Friday’s noon trade deadline and might not be the end of things for the Kraken, who still have pending unrestricted free agents Brandon Tanev and Josh Mahura in the fold.
“Oliver and Yanni were tremendous players for our organization who led by example on and off the ice, and I wish them all the best in their next chapter with the Lightning,” Kraken general manager Ron Francis said in a release. “Decisions like these are never easy, but creating this valuable cap space and draft capital allows us to be active in improving our team moving forward. In addition, we welcome Michael Eyssimont to the group. He’s a versatile, hardworking forward who can join our lineup immediately.”
The big part of Wednesday’s trade was securing the protected first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 acquired by the Kraken for Bjorkstrand – who turns 30 next month and had a year left on a deal worth $5.4 million annually against the salary cap — and for Gourde, 33, who stood to walk away at season’s end if he wasn’t re-signed.
Gourde confirmed after Tuesday night’s loss to Minnesota that he’d had contract extension talks with the Kraken ahead of being dealt back to the Lightning team he won Stanley Cups with in 2020 and 2021.
The protected status of the Kraken’s acquired first-round picks means if either winds up a top-10 selection, they slide back to 2028. If both picks wind up in the top 10, they would slide to 2028 and 2029, respectively.
The Kraken also would gain an additional third-round pick from Tampa Bay for the year that each first-rounder slides to.
The second-round pick for this summer was originally acquired by the Lightning from Toronto.
That accumulated draft capital, along with the saved $5.4 million salary cap space for next season on Bjorkstrand, positions Francis to make additional trades or free agent deals this summer for more-proven NHL talent if he so desires. The acquisition of Eyssimont likely won’t impact that cap space accrual as he’s a pending unrestricted free agent earning $800,000 this season.
The willingness of the Kraken to part with Bjorkstrand and Gourde, integral parts of their lone playoff appearance two seasons ago, signifies just how far they’ve evolved in their forward ranks.
Gourde was an original Expansion Draft pick of the team back in July 2021, but the Kraken initially struggled to place more high-caliber depth around him at the center position. But by Gourde’s final game Tuesday night, the Kraken trotted out a lineup against the Minnesota Wild that included Matty Beniers, Chandler Stephenson and Shane Wright filling center spots on the top three forward lines.
“You can have a conversation on what makes a good team, and it’s going to go right down the center of the rink, along with defensemen and the goaltender,” Kraken coach Dan Bylsma had said Tuesday of the team’s improved play from centermen this season. “And that’s an exciting thing for us as we continue to go here for the rest of this year. The play of Matty. Chandler’s a big force down the middle of the rink. And the development of (Wright).
“That’s three good spots right down the middle of the rink, and that’s what can make this team a good team,” Bylsma added. “And that’s a positive thing and a hopeful thing for the future.”
Stephenson, Wright and Beniers occupy three of the team’s top six spots in points. With a team-high 31 assists, Stephenson sits at 41 points on the year and is just three points behind Kraken leader Jared McCann.
Wright sits fourth at 37 points, having scored his 14th goal of the season Tuesday night. Beniers also has 14 goals and is sixth on the team with 33 points, two behind December trade acquisition Kakko.
The only season in which the Kraken finished with three centermen among their top-six point-getters was the debut 2021-22 campaign with Gourde at No. 2, Alex Wennberg at No. 4 and Ryan Donato at No. 6. But they had only 48, 37, and 31 points, respectively.
And with last summer’s first-round draft pick, center Berkly Catton, tearing up the major junior ranks with Spokane and too young for AHL eligibility next season, there’s a chance he’ll also get a crack at the NHL roster next fall.
As for Bjorkstrand, his assist Tuesday left him fourth in team points with 37 and made him an attractive component to Tampa Bay. But the Kraken have several top prospect wingers nearing the NHL, the biggest being Jani Nyman, currently tied for third in AHL scoring with 26 goals as a rookie. Eduard Sale and Jagger Firkus have also looked strong their debut AHL seasons while Ryan Winterton has already had NHL tastes with the Kraken prior.
The December acquisition of Kakko also gave the Kraken an additional talented winger still under contract through next season and potentially a contract extension candidate.
Gourde’s departure ends a bit of an era for the Kraken, who saw him collect two of four team awards in the franchise’s debut season. He captured the Guyle Fielder Award for the player “who best exemplifies ‘perseverance, hustle and dedication’ associated with the longtime Seattle Totems captain from the minor professional Western Hockey League.
Gourde was also that season’s “Fan Favorite” determined in a vote by Kraken fans.
Fans were enamored with the heart and hustle showcased by a 5-foot-9, 174-pound native of Saint Narcisse, Quebec, who never backed down from a difficult assignment or even a fight with a much bigger opponent. He kept practices light with his unlimited humor but also never took a day off – his history as an undrafted player in both the junior and professional ranks leaving him unwilling to take his NHL status for granted.
Though a competitor throughout his Kraken tenure, it was the team’s second season in which Gourde arguably stood out the most. He equaled the 48 points from his prior campaign on a vastly superior Kraken squad that went deep into the second round of the playoffs.
Gourde then proceeded to lead the Kraken in playoff points with four goals and nine assists — scoring the overtime winner against Dallas in the opening matchup of a series that went the seven-game distance.
The latter half of that second season saw Gourde form a line combination with Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen that became among the team’s most productive. That trio remained largely intact before Gourde began ceding playing time to Wright and suffered a sports hernia injury in January that sidelined him until Tuesday night.
Denmark native Bjorkstrand, acquired from Columbus for third-and-fourth-round picks in a July 2022 salary cap dump by the Blue Jackets, had 48 points that 2022-23 season and scored both goals of the Kraken’s 2-1 win that spring in a decisive Game 7 of their opening playoff round victory.
He continued to be productive since, putting up a career high 59 points last season and trending towards a fourth straight 20-goal season this campaign.
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