Bolts reunite with Gourde, add Bjorkstrand in 3-way deal

The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired center Yanni Gourde, winger Oliver Bjorkstrand, and a 2026 fifth-round pick from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a first-round selection in both 2026 and 2027, a second-round pick in 2025, and forward Michael Eyssimont, the teams announced Wednesday.

The Detroit Red Wings also got involved as brokers. The Kraken are retaining 50% of Gourde's $5.17-million cap hit, while the Red Wings are taking on 25%, bringing his price tag down to just under $1.3 million for the Lightning.

Detroit will receive the earlier selection between the Bolts' or the Edmonton Oilers' fourth-round pick this year for its involvement. The Lightning also acquired unsigned Harvard defenseman Kyle Aucoin from the Red Wings.

The first-round picks headed to Seattle are top-10 protected. If either pick becomes a 2028 first-rounder, the Kraken will bag an additional third-round pick in that same draft, per TSN's Chris Johnston. If both picks slide, Seattle will get a third-round selection in 2029 as well.

Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois expects both new additions to be in the lineup Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres, according to beat reporter Gabby Shirley.

"We're adding two players who are going to play significant minutes for us," the executive said. "Two players who are highly competitive, have had success in postseasons in the past, have elevated their game when it matters most."

Bjorkstrand is signed for one more season with an average annual value of $5.4 million, while Gourde is a pending unrestricted free agent.

"It's premature to talk about re-signing Yanni right now, but that's certainly a conversation we're going to have," Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said, according to NHL.com's Benjamin Pierce. "And part of the rationale for making this trade is I am hopeful and I am optimistic that we're going to be able to keep Yanni beyond this season."

Gourde won two Stanley Cup championships with the Bolts in 2020 and 2021. He totaled 13 goals - including four game-winners - and 21 points in 48 contests across those runs as a key member of the Lightning's pesky third line.

The 33-year-old veteran spent the first six campaigns of his career in Tampa Bay after going undrafted, but his tenure with the Lightning ended after Seattle scooped him up during the 2021 expansion draft.

Gourde has six goals and 17 points in 36 outings this season. He missed 22 games after undergoing surgery to correct a sports hernia injury in January. He returned to the lineup Tuesday, recording one assist during Seattle's 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild.

The Quebec native owns a career 132 goals and 333 points in 581 NHL games.

Bjorkstrand, meanwhile, has racked up 16 tallies and 37 points in 61 contests for Seattle. He's hit the 20-goal mark in each of his previous three campaigns and five times in his NHL tenure.

The 29-year-old began his career in Columbus after being selected by the Blue Jackets in the third round of the 2013 NHL Draft. The Kraken pried him out of Ohio in exchange for a 2023 third- and fourth-round pick during the 2022 offseason.

Bjorkstrand has amassed 167 goals and 375 points in 606 career outings, as well as 20 points in 45 playoff games.

Eyssimont heads to Seattle with five goals and five assists in 57 games this campaign. He enjoyed a career year for the Bolts last season with 11 tallies and 25 points in 81 contests.

An energetic forechecker, Eyssimont has also spent time with the Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks. He carries a cap hit of $800,000 and can become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The Bolts likely won't pick in the first round again until 2028. They shipped out their 2025 first-rounder as part of the package for forward Tanner Jeannot, who they later traded to the Los Angeles Kings for a 2024 fourth-rounder and 2025 second-round pick.

"What guides us, what drives us, is trying to win a championship," BriseBois said, per the Tampa Bay Times' Eduardo A. Encina. "That's really hard, and in order to do that, you need a lot of good players. ... I'd rather have a lineup full of good players than a bank of a ton of draft picks."

He added: "Ultimately, the calculation is that trying and failing will yield less regret than failing to try."