With the trade deadline under ten days away, the framework of some deals are likely set, and it wouldn’t be surprising to a wave of transactions announced in the next few days. We know the Bolts are looking for forwards to bolster their top-six scoring. They probably wouldn’t mind another veteran defenseman, either. A back-up goaltender? Sure, but it doesn’t seem like a good use of resources. As opposed to singling out a player for the Tampa Bay Lightning to acquire, how about we take a look at an organization and see what might fit.
Why are the Seattle Kraken considered sellers? As of the time of writing they are nine points out of the second wild-card spot (which is held by Vancouver) and have four teams between them, so it would take quite a run for them to even think about the postseason. They’re also among the top teams in regards of games already played in the Western Conference, so all of those teams around them have games in hand. Chances are they are going to miss the playoffs for the second season in a row, and could use a retooling in their line-up to get back into a competitive state.
The good news is that general manager Ron Francis has some enticing pieces for those still in the chase for Lord Stanley’s chalice. With the Lightning looking for some depth scoring, it wouldn’t be surprising if Julien BriseBois has had more than one conversation with Francis.
As with any deal that the Lightning are trying to put together, their biggest obstacle is a general lack of super exciting picks or prospects to offer another team. While we believe no prospect in the organization is truly untouchable, parting with Isaac Howard or Ethan Gauthier would be tough to swallow for a short-term rental.
Seattle would like to improve their defensive prospect depth as most of their top prospects are forwards. Tampa Bay could offer them a couple of players that, while they might project out to be future hall-of-famers, are close to NHL ready and could eat a lot of defensive minutes. Declan Carlile and Max Crozier have both shown that they can handle play at the NHL level in their brief forays with the Lightning, and while they might not be a centerpiece of any deal, could be an enticing add-on to go along with either one of the second-round picks that the Bolts have this season, or their first-round pick for next year.
The same goes for Nick Perbix and Darren Raddysh. Again, they wouldn’t be a key piece in any big swing that JBB pulls off, but could be nice additions.
The sentimental pick
Yanni Gourde – 35 games played, 6 goals, 10 assists, 15:34 TOI, 51.09% SC%, 50.03% XG%
Final season of a contract with a $5,166,667 cap hit, modified no-trade clause
It’s been almost four years since the Seattle Kraken took Yanni Gourde in the expansion draft. It’s also been almost four years since the Tampa Bay Lightning won a Stanley Cup. For a lot of fans those two things are connected. It’s no doubt that when he was in Tampa, Gourde was the foundation of one of the best third-lines in all of the NHL. Flanked by Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow, the trio was not only a shutdown line, but also one that could put the puck in the back of the net.
The Lightning have been chasing that magic ever since, so bringing back the pivot man from that line has a certain appeal. The only fly in the soup of the plan is that the current version of Gourde is not the same as the one that left in the expansion draft. The 33 year-old is currently on LTIR following sports hernia surgery and isn’t expected back until after the trade deadline. While that will drive the cost to acquire him down, it’ll also leave the team picking him up with a bit of an unknown commodity.
He is also set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and while he’s not the same player he was when he signed his deal in 2018, Gourde is still a solid defensive forward who will likely command a multi-year deal on the market. The Bolts would also have to remove a little bit of salary to get him to fit on the roster as PuckPedia currently has them at $5,107,521 in deadline day cap space.
Gourde would slide into the the third-line center spot with Mitchell Chaffee and Gage Goncalves flanking him, giving Coach Cooper a line that should be a pain to play against, and that could, in theory, score some goals.
He makes your offense better while also improving your defense. If he was 100% healthy, he would likely be priced out of the Lightning’s range, but the injury and uncertain return time could give them a shot at picking him up. He’s still worth a first-round pick, the question is if Francis is willing to wait for that pick to be a 2026 one.
Chasing players that once helped you win a Stanley Cup can become a dangerous way to ruin future plans, but Mr. BriseBois has already pulled it off with Ryan McDonagh. Much like the defenseman, Gourde ticks off all of the boxes of what the Lightning need, and his familiarity with the system would accelerate his acclimation back into the team.
The Big Swing
Jared McCann – 59 games, 15 goals, 28 assists, 17:23 TOI, 45.13% SCF, 44.98% xGF
Signed through 2026-27 with a $5,000,000 cap hit.
Prying McCann from the Kraken is going to take some doing. He’s on pace for another 60+ point season, and while he’s not likely to get to the 30-goal mark, he would be a solid addition to the Lightning’s middle-six. The enticing part of acquiring McCann would be the fact that he would be under control for two more seasons after this one. Mr. BriseBois does like bringing in players that he can count on for more than one season, and if he can keep the offensive production going, the $5 million hit will only look better as the salary cap increases.
He could be the missing piece on the second line that allows the Lightning to slide Nick Paul back down to the third line. Much like Gourde, McCann would help Tampa Bay in the defensive game as well.
The Kraken aren’t likely to be actively shopping their all-time goals scored leader, but that doesn’t mean Francis can’t be overwhelmed by an offer, and we all know that Mr. BriseBois isn’t above offering above and beyond what is needed to close a deal.
The intriguing, but what’s the cost guys
Oliver Bjorkstrand – 58 games, 15 goals, 20 assists, 15:29 TOI, 49.14% SCF, 48.17% xGF
Signed through 2025-26 at $5,400,000
Bjorkstrand profiles out a lot like Alex Tuch, who we looked at earlier this month. He would add a boost to 5v5 scoring and plays a rugged game up front. The cap hit would take some massaging to fit for the Lightning this season, but having him for another season would be nice. If Tampa Bay can get Seattle to eat a portion of the salary, and the asking price doesn’t involve any of their top forward prospects, it would be worth exploring.
Brandon Tanev – 57 games played, 9 goals, 8 assists, 14:04 TOI, 43.55% SCF, 43.94% XGF
Final year of a deal with a $3,500,000
If Mr. BriseBois wants to just create a miserable third line for opponents to play against, he could acquire Tanev, who has 117 hits on the season. Placed on a line with Mitchell Chaffee and Zemgus Girgensons, the trio could skate around hitting everything not in a Lightning uniform for 12-15 minutes a night. They might not score a lot, but they would be an absolute pain to play against.
The cap number fits for the Bolts, but at 33 and as a pending free agent, flipping high picks or prospects for him would be a little short-sighted.
Eeli Tolvanen – 59 games played, 16 goals, 10 assists, 13:46 TOI, 42.71% SCF, 42.65% XGF
Signed through 2025-26 at $3,475,000
If Tolvanen wasn’t shooting at near career high at 5v5 (16.25%) he’d be a lot more intriguing. A physical forward (177 hits) he could have a similar role that Gourde had with the Cup-winning teams. He is 25 years-old and is developing into a 40-point player.
With his affordable cap hit, it seems like the Lightning would be buying high on him and there could be some regression in his numbers if his playing time takes a hit. If the Bolts could acquire him for a mid-round pick or a B-grade prospect, it would be worth exploring.
Defensively, there doesn’t seem to be a solid match for the Lightning in regards to making them better. On paper it would seem that Jamie Oleksiak would be a nice veteran addition on the left side, but he isn’t really an upgrade over Emil Lilleberg at this point, and that $4.6 million could be spent in a better way.
There are some intriguing forwards that would make the Lightning a better team, and Ron Francis wouldn’t mind dealing outside of his conference if he is going to let some of them go, but the question will be if the Bolts have enough bullets in the chamber to pull off a deal.
