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The Tampa Bay Lightning reunited with Yanni Gourde at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. Gourde and winger Oliver Bjorkstrand joined the team through trade with the Seattle Kraken. Both of these veterans were rental options on expiring contracts. However, the Lightning have kept Gourde from reaching NHL Free Agency this summer.
Gourde has signed a six-year contract extension, the team announced on Monday. This contract carries a cap hit of $2.33 million through the life of the deal. He also has a full no-trade clause through each of the six years on this contract. And it takes him through his age 39 season.
“Extremely happy, honestly,” Gourde said of the deal, via NHL.com. “I'm so happy to continue with the Lightning. The term was a big factor. I am very excited for the future. It's been an exciting past few days. The Lightning has always had a winning culture, and we just want to keep building that culture. That's the biggest aspect — finding a way to win, being proud to wear that Tampa Bay Lightning jersey. And obviously, the ultimate goal is to win a championship.”
With the dust settling on this news, let's take a look at this contract and hand out grades to the Lightning and Yanni Gourde.
Yanni Gourde remains with Lightning
Gourde spent the first six seasons of his career in Tampa Bay. He became an integral part of the team's success during the late 2010s and early 2020s. He helped the franchise win two Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. Following the second championship, he went to the Seattle Kraken in the NHL Expansion Draft.
Gourde returned to the Lightning this year, with some success. He scored 14 points in 21 games during the regular season following the trade. He also added an assist in five postseason games against the Florida Panthers. However, he combined for one goal in the regular season and postseason.
He could have gone to NHL Free Agency and likely made some decent money. In saying this, he would not have received this sort of term. And this is important. Gourde is entering the final years of his career. Having stability is extremely important. A six-year contract with a full no-trade clause provides that stability.
There is a big trade off being made here. Gourde could have landed a bit more money on the open market. But he would not have received a six-year contract offer. And in the end, the opportunity to retire with the Lightning won out for the veteran forward.
Lightning sign Yanni Gourde
The Lightning need to retain their depth this summer. Gourde was one of a few players who could have hit NHL Free Agency on July 1. Gourde is the most important player to lock up considering his skill set. But there is a bit of a cost.
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Tampa Bay needs to maximize its salary cap when they can. They need to find surplus value since they are usually right up against the cap. Signing Gourde to a long-term deal with a reduced cap hit makes sense through that lens.
However, there is risk in signing a 33-year-old to a long-term deal. He already missed 25 games due to injury in 2024-25. He isn't getting younger, either. Aging players are going to be more at risk for injury, given how much stress and punishment their bodies have suffered.
The Lightning have considered the potential ramifications, though. Tampa included signing bonus payments to help soften the blow of a potential buyout. And they kept his cap hit low enough that his contract could be buried in the AHL should he not perform. Moreover, he could go on long-term injured reserve if he cannot stay healthy.
It's hard to know just what to make of Tampa's side of this deal. There is risk involved, no matter how you look at it. On one hand, they keep an effective player around long-term at a modest cap hit. On the other hand, there is a non-zero chance they only get a year or two of value out of this deal before it starts to backfire on them.
Grades and final thoughts
Yanni Gourde and the Lightning receive fine grades for their part in this contract extension. Gourde elected to prioritize term over one final payday in NHL Free Agency. This is certainly admirable, but it is a bit difficult to ignore the money potentially left on the table. The Lightning, meanwhile, allow one of their formerly homegrown stars to retire with the team. But they incur some risk in doing so.
Tampa Bay Lightning grade: B+
Yanni Gourde grade: B+
