Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois has never been hesitant to trade first-round draft picks in the name of trying to win a Stanley Cup now. And in what had become a seller’s market ahead of Friday’s 3 p.
TAMPA -- Yanni Gourde returned to Amalie Arena as if he never departed the Tampa Bay Lightning. He is back in his corner stall of the locker room and will wear the same No. 37 jersey tonight against the Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; ESPN) that he wore for his first six seasons in the NHL.
The Lighting paid a steep price — two first-round picks — for Gourde and Bjorkstrand but they're two players who should fit in perfectly.
That was made abundantly clear by GM Julien BriseBois on Wednesday when the Lightning acquired Yanni Gourde ... and win a Stanley Cup. Here's what the lines might look like when Gourde and ...
Selected by Columbus in the third round (No. 89) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Bjorkstrand has 375 points (167 goals, 208 assists) in 606 regular-season games for the Kraken and Blue Jackets and 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 45 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The Lightning have acquired forwards Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Kraken in exchange for a package that includes two future first-round picks.
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Seattle Kraken forward Yanni Gourde is returning to the Tampa Bay Lightning -- and he's taking Oliver Bjorkstrand with him.