FILE – Seattle Kraken proper wing Oliver Bjorkstrand (22) seems on throughout an NHL hockey recreation towards the San Jose Sharks, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Picture/Lindsey Wasson, File)
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The Tampa Bay Lightning have answered the cross-state-rival and defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers’ first couple of additives forward of the NHL commerce deadline with an enormous transfer of their very own.
The Lightning on Wednesday acquired forwards Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand from Seattle in a three-team commerce that additionally concerned Detroit facilitating by retaining wage. They despatched conditional 2026 and ’27 first-round picks, a second-rounder this yr and winger Mikey Eyssimont to the Kraken and a fifth-rounder this yr to the Purple Wings.
Tampa Bay additionally obtained a 2026 fifth-round choose and the rights to unsigned prospect Kyle Aucoin as a part of one other aggressive maneuver by two-time Cup-winning normal supervisor Julien BriseBois, who’s once more bolstering his crew to attempt to make a protracted playoff run.
Reacquiring Gourde, who was a part of these back-to-back title groups in 2020 and ’21, and including Bjorkstrand, a former Portland Winterhawk, offers coach Jon Cooper and the Lightning — at the moment the most popular crew within the league with 10 wins of their final 12 video games — some beneficial depth. Gourde simply returned Tuesday night time from sports activities hernia surgical procedure to restore an harm that brought about him to overlook the previous two months.
The Kraken retained half of Gourde’s wage and the Purple Wings one other quarter, so the Lightning get him on the cut price cap hit of just below $1.3 million. The primary-round picks the following two years are top-10 protected, and Seattle may obtain further compensation consequently.
“Oliver and Yanni were tremendous players for our organization who led by example on and off the ice, and I wish them all the best in their next chapter with the Lightning,” Kraken GM Ron Francis mentioned. “Decisions like these are never easy, but creating this valuable cap space and draft capital allows us to be active in improving our team moving forward.”
The Lightning’s salvo got here hours after the Panthers remained energetic earlier than the three p.m. EST deadline Friday, buying goaltender Vitek Vanecek from the San Jose Sharks for 25-year-old ahead Patrick Giles.
Vanecek offers Florida depth in internet, together with Chris Driedger, behind two-time Vezina Trophy-winning starter Sergei Bobrovsky, who backstopped them to their first Cup championship in franchise historical past final yr.
That’s a depth transfer, and the true one Tampa Bay is responding to was the Panthers buying top-four defenseman Seth Jones, additionally a Portland Winterhawks alum, from Chicago in a weekend blockbuster that despatched goalie Spencer Knight and a first-round choose to the Blackhawks.
Florida would be the fourth NHL group for Vanecek, who was 3-10-3 in 18 appearances with San Jose this season. The Sharks held him out of their recreation Tuesday night time at Buffalo in preparation of buying and selling the 29-year-old from Czechia.
“It’s part of the business,” mentioned Sharks goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, who was traded there from Colorado for Mackenzie Blackwood earlier this season. “Unfortunately sometimes players get moved. … Hopefully it’s a good opportunity for him.”
The Sharks in Giles get a younger participant so as to add to their core constructed round No. 1 choose and rookie-of-the-year candidate Macklin Celebrini. Giles appeared in 9 NHL video games for the Panthers earlier this season with out a level. He has largely been with the crew’s American Hockey League affiliate in Charlotte.
San Jose in a corresponding roster transfer recalled Georgi Romanov from the Barracuda of the AHL.
The goalie market forward of the three p.m. EST deadline Friday stays skinny outdoors of maybe Anaheim’s John Gibson, however different talks proceed to select up across the league. After signing pending free agent robust man Mathieu Olivier to a six-year, $18 million extension, Columbus Blue Jackets normal supervisor Don Waddell signaled he’s open for enterprise — to a sure extent.
“We’re certainly making calls and taking calls,” Waddell mentioned. “I’ve said all along: We’re not in the position to trade first-round picks for rental players or anything like that. If we can add around the edges, certainly we’re going to try that. I’m more interested in hockey deals with maybe players that have term left on their contract. We’re exploring obviously as many of those as we can.”
The Blue Jackets have a handful of different pending UFAs, who Waddell doesn’t count on to re-sign earlier than the deadline however may preserve simply to assist his crew battle for a playoff spot.
“If I rip a guy out of this locker room right now (who is) playing a role for us on this hockey club right now, I think that’s pretty devastating to our team,” Waddell mentioned. “I think it’s the wrong message from my end. I think it’s the wrong message to our fans, the coaches and the players.”