TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired forwards Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand, along with a fifth-round draft pick in 2026 as part of a three-team trade with the Seattle Kraken and Detroit Red Wings, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today. As part of the trade, Seattle has acquired forward Michael Eyssimont, a first-round draft pick in 2026, a first-round draft pick in 2027 (both top-10 protected) and Toronto’s second-round draft pick in 2025 (previously acquired from Utah). Tampa Bay also acquired unsigned defenseman Kyle Aucoin as part of the trade. Seattle will retain 50% of Gourde’s salary while Detroit will retain 25% and acquire the highest selection between Tampa Bay’s fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft or Edmonton’s 2025 fourth-round pick acquired by the Lightning last May.
Bjorkstrand, 29, has appeared in 61 games with the Kraken this season, collecting 16 goals and 37 points with 21 takeaways. Since joining Seattle at the start of the 2022-23 season, he has played in 224 regular season contests and led all Kraken skaters with 140 takeaways, while ranking second with 56 goals, 141 points and 17 power-play tallies.
A native of Herning, Denmark, Bjorkstrand has skated in 606 career regular season games with Seattle and the Columbus Blue Jackets, recording 167 goals and 375 points with 17 game-winners and 37 goals on the power play. The 6-foot, 175-pound, right-handed shot forward has hit the 20-goal mark in five of his last six seasons and is one of just four Danish players in NHL history to score 150 career goals. Last season, Bjorkstrand represented the Kraken at the NHL All-Star Game and logged a career-high 39 assists and 59 points, leading Seattle for helpers while ranking second for goals (20), points and power-play goals (8).
Bjorkstrand was originally drafted by Columbus in the third round, 89th overall, of the 2013 NHL Draft. Prior to making his NHL debut, he scored the game-winning goal to clinch the Calder Cup as a rookie with the Lake Erie Monsters in 2016. Bjorkstrand led the club with 10 postseason goals and 16 points (tied) before taking home the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Gourde, 33, returns to Tampa Bay after skating in 271 regular season contests with Seattle, recording 52 goals and 146 points with 219 penalty minutes. After helping guide the Kraken to the organization’s first and only playoff appearance in 2023, Gourde played in all 14 games and led the team with nine assists, 13 points, two game-winning goals and 18 takeaways. The Saint-Narcisse, Quebec, native departs Seattle as the franchise’s all-time leader in takeaways (192), shorthanded points (8) and penalty minutes (tied), while ranking fourth in games played, assists (93) and points.
A back-to-back Stanley Cup champion with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021, Gourde was originally undrafted and made his NHL debut with the Bolts December 15, 2015 at Toronto, registering his first career point, an assist, in a 5-4 win. He went on to play in 310 regular season contests with Tampa Bay, logging 80 goals and 187 points with 20 game-winning tallies and a plus-48 rating. From 2018-21, Gourde skated in each of the Lightning’s 69 playoff games, recording 16 goals and 29 points while leading the team with 47 takeaways.
~www.TampaBayLightning.com~
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