March 5, 2025 | 12:56pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com
GOURDE GENERATING PLENTY OF INTEREST IN SEATTLE
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Yanni Gourde, forward
With Friday’s 3pm ET trade deadline fast approaching, the Seattle Kraken have generated significant interest in a number of their players, including veteran centre Yanni Gourde.
Gourde, who is in the final year of his contract, returned to action on Tuesday after a two-month stint on the IR. He owns a $5 million salary cap hit and 23-team approved trade list as part of his contract.
The Kraken have expressed interest in signing him to an extension, but failing to do so will likely result in him being dealt ahead of the deadline.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils are some of the teams reportedly interested in Gourde.
It is unclear as to the asking price for Gourde, who told reporters after Tuesday’s game that he is blocking out the trade-related noise and was zeroed in on returning to action.
“I’m focusing on what I can control. I can control showing up tomorrow and working hard,” he said after Tuesday’s game. “We’ll see what happens in the next few days.”
Kraken forwards Brandon Tanev, Jared McCann, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Jaden Schwartz, and defenceman Jamie Oleksiak, have also attracted interest from other teams interested in bolstering their rosters ahead of the playoffs.