TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Yanni Gourde to a new six-year contract, carrying an average annual value (AAV) of $2.33 million, as announced by Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois.
Gourde, 33, returned to the Bolts on March 5, 2025, via a three-team trade involving the Detroit Red Wings and Seattle Kraken. After tallying six goals and 17 points in 36 games with Seattle, Gourde made an immediate impact in Tampa, collecting 14 points (13 assists) in 21 regular season games, while finishing third in assists and second in hits (50) among all Lightning skaters post-acquisition. He appeared in all five postseason games, ranking second among Bolts forwards in blocked shots (6) and sixth in hits (9).
An undrafted success story, Gourde was originally signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent on March 10, 2014, and made his NHL debut with the club on December 15, 2015, in Toronto, where he also recorded his first career point. He later became a key contributor in Tampa Bay’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021.
Between 2015–2021, Gourde amassed 80 goals and 187 points in 310 regular season games with the Lightning, ranking among the club’s top 10 in goals, points, and game-winning tallies (20). Notably, he also ranked second in team history for shorthanded goals (5) and points (8) during that span. In the playoffs, Gourde featured in all 69 postseason games from 2018–2021, registering 16 goals, 29 points, and a team-leading 47 takeaways.
Selected by Seattle in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, Gourde spent four seasons with the Kraken, skating in 271 regular season games and posting 52 goals, 146 points, and 219 penalty minutes. He helped lead Seattle to its inaugural playoff run in 2023, contributing 13 points in 14 games, including two game-winners and a team-high nine assists and 18 takeaways. He remains Seattle’s all-time franchise leader in takeaways (192) and shorthanded points (8).
Across his 602-game NHL career, Gourde has compiled 133 goals, 347 points, and 28 game-winning goals, along with a +46 rating. He’s also appeared in 88 playoff games, adding 20 goals, 43 points, 164 hits, and 65 takeaways to his postseason résumé.
