TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that the team has acquired forwards Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand, along with a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, as part of a three-team trade involving the Seattle Kraken and Detroit Red Wings. Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois confirmed the details of the trade, which includes Tampa Bay acquiring unsigned defenseman Kyle Aucoin. Seattle will retain 50% of Gourde’s salary, while Detroit will retain 25%. As part of the deal, Detroit will also receive the higher selection between Tampa Bay’s fourth-round pick or Edmonton’s fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, previously acquired by the Lightning last May.
Seattle has acquired forward Michael Eyssimont, two first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 (both top-10 protected), and Toronto’s second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, which Tampa Bay had previously acquired from Utah.
Oliver Bjorkstrand
Bjorkstrand, 29, has been an integral part of the Seattle Kraken this season, appearing in 61 games and recording 16 goals, 37 points, and 21 takeaways. Since joining Seattle at the start of the 2022-23 season, Bjorkstrand has played 224 regular-season games, leading Kraken skaters with 140 takeaways while ranking second in goals (56), points (141), and power-play goals (17).
A native of Herning, Denmark, Bjorkstrand has accumulated 167 goals and 375 points in 606 career regular-season games with Seattle and the Columbus Blue Jackets. He is one of just four Danish players in NHL history to achieve 150 career goals and has hit the 20-goal mark in five of his last six seasons. In 2024, Bjorkstrand earned his first NHL All-Star selection and finished the season with career highs in assists (39) and points (59), leading Seattle in assists while ranking second in goals (20), total points, and power-play goals (8).
Drafted by Columbus in the third round (89th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Bjorkstrand made an immediate impact by scoring the game-winning goal to clinch the Calder Cup as a rookie with the Lake Erie Monsters in 2016. He led the team in postseason goals (10) and tied for the lead in points (16), earning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Yanni Gourde
Gourde, 33, returns to Tampa Bay after a three-season stint with the Seattle Kraken, where he appeared in 271 regular-season games and tallied 52 goals, 146 points, and 219 penalty minutes. Gourde played a key role in leading the Kraken to their first playoff appearance in 2023, where he played all 14 games and led the team with nine assists, 13 points, two game-winning goals, and 18 takeaways.
A native of Saint-Narcisse, Quebec, Gourde leaves Seattle as the franchise’s all-time leader in takeaways (192), shorthanded points (8), and penalty minutes (tied), while ranking fourth in games played (271), assists (93), and points (146).
Gourde, a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021, was originally undrafted and made his NHL debut with the Lightning on December 15, 2015, against Toronto, registering an assist in a 5-4 victory. During his time with Tampa Bay, Gourde appeared in 310 regular-season games, recording 80 goals, 187 points, and 20 game-winning tallies, along with a plus-48 rating. From 2018-21, Gourde played in each of Tampa Bay’s 69 playoff games, contributing 16 goals, 29 points, and a team-leading 47 takeaways.
This blockbuster trade adds significant depth and experience to Tampa Bay’s roster as the team eyes another Stanley Cup run, while bolstering Seattle and Detroit’s long-term plans with valuable assets.
