It’s time for another edition of NHL rumours. We’re into the month of January and that means the trade deadline will be here soon. The big day is March 7, but we might see some moves before then. Some clubs will face the hard choice of whether or not to trade off players for assets. Teams that have fallen or are falling out of contention are at a crossroads. One team that might have to sell off assets is the Seattle Kraken. This edition of NHL rumours deals with one veteran forward that could garner some interest.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Veteran Seattle Kraken Forward Possible Trade Bait
Rumour: The Athletic’s Chris Johnston released the third edition of his Big Trade Board. One player that appears high on the list is Kraken forward Yanni Gourde. The veteran forward shows up in the sixth spot on the trade board.
Analysis: Gourde is a veteran of the Stanley Cup Playoff wars mostly with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 33-year-old becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and could become a rental for a contending team.
His salary doesn’t seem like too much of a hard hit on a team with a $5.167 million cap number. The left-handed shot has seen his ice time go down and his numbers haven’t been up to his usual consistent standard. However, he will draw attention at the deadline if Seattle does fall out of contention.
Johnston mentioned that Gourde is a solid player at both ends of the ice. The veteran isn’t the biggest player, but he’s got some snarl and feistiness to his game. That could translate to a team needing some depth in the bottom-half of their lineups.
Gourde is currently on injured reserve as of January 4. However, he could be coming off the IR soon and it may prove to be a chance to audition for a team seeking his services.
What It Means
One thing that Seattle could do to help facilitate a deal is retain some salary. Teams have up to three retention slots and Seattle can retain over $2.5 million of Gourde’s contract should it choose to.
Some clubs that are in contending position might be up against the salary cap. Every dollar counts and a salary retention could help a team get that desired piece that could be the missing ingridient.
Kraken General Manager Ron Francis may be able to get some assets to speed up the team’s retooling if he can find a suitor for Gourde. Seattle seems to be in that no man’s land of caught between rebuilding and being a fringe playoff team.
The Kraken have drafted a number of young players and moving out players like Gourde could mean a chance to get a look at these youngsters. A number of those youngsters got time in the AHL under now Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma. Dealing Gourde may allow some of these players to get a shot in the NHL.
Main photo by: James Guillory-Imagn Images
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