Lightning Acquire Gourde and Bjorkstrand in Major Trade Ahead of NHL Deadline

Tampa Bay strengthens roster with two key forwards from Seattle, while Florida Panthers add goaltender Vitek Vanecek in separate moves.

The Tampa Bay Lightning traded two conditional first-round picks (2026, 2027), a second-round pick, and forward Michael Eyssimont to acquire Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Seattle Kraken.
The trade was facilitated by the Detroit Red Wings, who retained 25% of Gourde's salary, while Seattle retained 50%, reducing Tampa Bay's cap hit for Gourde to just under $1.3 million.
Gourde, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Tampa Bay, recently returned from sports hernia surgery and brings valuable playoff experience to the team.
Bjorkstrand, a consistent scorer with five 20-goal seasons, adds offensive depth to the Lightning as they prepare for a potential playoff run.
In a separate move, the Florida Panthers acquired goaltender Vitek Vanecek from the San Jose Sharks to bolster their goaltending depth behind Sergei Bobrovsky.