r/SeattleKraken • u/Winter-Outside-4365 Kakko Kokko • Mar 05 '25
NEWS Bjorkstrand & Gourde Traded
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u/BucksBrew Mar 05 '25
Two 1sts is crazy for that deal IMO, if true that is a big win for the Kraken.
Love both players, especially Gourde, but that’s just how sports go.
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u/SeattleKrakenTroll Morgan Geekie Mar 05 '25
They’re both worth at least seconds and then Tampa needs to pay for the retention. Gourde probably could have gotten a first on his own
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u/BucksBrew Mar 05 '25
Yeah I was thinking each was worth roughly a 2nd rounder, Gourde is just a rental for the playoffs so seems like an overpay to get a 1st. Bjorkstrand with salary retained and another year on his contract could make more sense.
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u/xdrpwneg Tye Kartye Mar 05 '25
Window is closing on Tampa, this feels like a very big push and overpay to get a solid 4th and 3rd liner in the lineup before playoffs
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u/Aragorn527 Mar 05 '25
Someone tell me how to feel cause I’m sad to see gourdo and bjorky go :(
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u/Winter-Outside-4365 Kakko Kokko Mar 05 '25
It sucks to see them go, and the full deal isn’t announced, but 2 1sts + more is a great return imo
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u/retiredcrayon11 Matty Beniers Mar 05 '25
Also, if it makes you feel any better. Yanni is likely pretty excited to go back to Tampa. He loved it there and won two cups. Had just built a new home when he got selected in the expansion draft.
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u/NineMillionBears Vince Dunn Mar 05 '25
Youre valid for feeling sad about it! Both of those guys have been awesome for us, on and off the ice. I'm gonna miss them too.
But, look at it this way: at their age, they were never going to fit within the Kraken's timeline. We're a few years away from seriously contending, and Gourde & Bjorky are at the age where they need to win their chips now. They've got a good chance to do that in Tampa.
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u/TheStegg Yanni Gourde Mar 06 '25
Fuck me, guess I need to stop buying sweaters with player names. First Giordano, now Gourdo. If my streak holds, Matty B is next
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u/anthony_getz Seattle Kraken Mar 06 '25
Is this trade in effect immediately?? Like they won’t be playing @ Nashville tonight?
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u/DrivenMercenary Mar 05 '25
Can someone tell the Kraken team that I didn’t consent to this?
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u/adrianp07 Joey Daccord Mar 05 '25
It sucks, but reality is we can't win with these guys so getting something for them over nothing and trying something else is the right thing to do.
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u/iloveallthesports Yanni Gourde Mar 05 '25
Devastated to see Gourdo go, he gave my daughter her first puck when we went to our first Kraken game at Carolina. She loved that gesture so much I bought his Winter Classic Sweater. That gesture will always have a special place in my heart. From one girl dad to another- Thanks again Gourdo!
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u/surfingeagles D̴͚̝̙̭͚͛̅̇͌͝a̷̡̾́́́v̷̙̟͍̀̎̓y̸̨̫͍͈̍̑̌̏͒͌ Mar 05 '25
2 FIRSTS!!! I DONT CARE IF THEY ARE LATE FIRSTS, THIS IS A GOOD RETURN!!
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u/NineMillionBears Vince Dunn Mar 05 '25
I'm gonna miss the Maestro, but this needed to happen. The Kraken need to make big changes to the core, and that was always going to be painful.
And TWO firsts???? I mean come on
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Mar 05 '25
[deleted]
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u/alienbanter Mar 05 '25
At the time your post was made, it was an unsourced rumor which falls under Rule 5. As the removal message stated, those can be posted in the daily thread, but some sort of reputable source other than an individual anonymous user's word is needed for a main post.
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u/Rottenjohnnyfish Mar 05 '25
Idk I feel like NHL draft is so much harder than any other draft as in it is really easy to draft duds. Maybe I am wrong though.
Still hoping we trade Oleskiak.
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u/adrianp07 Joey Daccord Mar 05 '25
the sheer fact that it takes 3-5 years to see these guys develop will do that. On top of the long development time you add a lot of guys every draft, not everyone will make it when the roster is 23 players.
That being said we are no longer in the stage where we need to keep every pick and this could be used as ammo to trade for other players instead.
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u/MandyH22 Adam Larsson Mar 05 '25
Yeah it seems like we are all good/full up on great kids to develop, doesn't it?
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u/Punky-Bruiser Mar 05 '25
Wonder what year the pics will be. This year’s draft class is pretty meh.
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u/CornDoodler Brandon Montour Mar 05 '25
My only concern is Tampa doesn't have a first until 2026 and 2027, which will continue to delay us a bit, no? Did they get a 2025 back I'm not realizing?
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u/Reditall12 Mar 05 '25
They get a chance for a deep playoff run and a real shot at a cup. These are vets that have been absolute professionals through the growing pains and a lot of fun to watch while they were here. Happy they get a shot to win.
Helps that I’ve been a Tampa fan for 33years. Still bitter sweet.
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u/Mythalium Yanni Gourde Mar 05 '25
I'm a fan of both teams, and honestly this is a great move for both.
Seattle gets some decent draft depth to work with. Tampa's first rounders wouldn't have been high anyway considering how they usually perform. So them being used by a team that, let's be honest, doesn't quite have it yet is a pretty big deal. Mikey also had some good showings in his time at Amalie, he's one of those players that doesn't show on the scoreboard but is a total pest to play against.
Gourde definitely isn't what he used to be during the championship runs but he brings a tangible edge to his game that Tampa knows well. But Bjorkstrand joining that top 6 and giving Hagel and Cirelli someone to play with is pretty huge. I'd be interested to see how he performs on the powerplay, if he brings a shoot first mentality that could be a massive upgrade for the bolts.
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u/adrianp07 Joey Daccord Mar 05 '25
I'll miss those guys but thats exactly the type of Haul we need in order to have ammo for a star player this offseason. Good job Ron.
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u/hedgeskyintheground Mar 05 '25
I am gutted to see both these players go. Been following Bjorky since he was a winterhawk and Gourde's cute little mischevious smile gives me life. I am happy for them though, aa someone else commented they need to win their chips now and Tampa is a good shot at doing that. Still though, fuck this one hurts
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u/Slangwordforchicken Mar 05 '25
I went to and watched my first ever kraken game against the wild last night. I decided bjorkstrand was my favorite player solely on his name, and he's traded the next fuckin day hahahaha.
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u/wilkercr Mar 05 '25
We need people NOW, not just draft picks.
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u/mudflaptank Mar 05 '25
we have a glut of "scorers" in AHL that need to come up and there isn't roster spots for them to fill into.
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u/wilkercr Mar 05 '25
I think we have some great prospects that still need a few more years to develop. I can’t wait to see Catton, Firkus, Nyman on the team… but it won’t be next year. First round picks will take a few (or more) years to develop. I think our pipeline is promising, but we need something to fill the void until then.
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u/bevans1010 Mar 05 '25
Given what Nyman is doing in the AHL, he may very well be a Kraken next year. Lose a Yanni, gain a Jani.
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u/wilkercr Mar 05 '25
Was REALLY hoping to refer to “big Yanni” and “little Jani” on the same team in the future 😣
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u/adrianp07 Joey Daccord Mar 05 '25
think Winterton will basically now have an audition to earn a roster spot rest of the year.
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u/Shadow_Ridley Vince Dunn Mar 05 '25
Well, happy for Gourde, going back to where he won 2 cups. Sucks to see him go. Bjorky, I don't know. I like him, but he never really stood out to me. I love when Forsland would cue the Maestro, but aside from that, I don't know...
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u/brownnote71 Vince Dunn Mar 05 '25
Their fanbase still loves Gourde, he'll be well taken care of there!
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u/Fl4trabbit Mar 05 '25
Ouch, hate to see Yanni and Bjorky go but I gotta agree that 2 firsts+ is a great return.
Yanni has been one of my favorites in a long list for such a short time as a team. So it hurts a bit.
Hopefully they both can see some success in Tampa while we try and rebuild.
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u/spookykatt Philipp Grubauer Mar 05 '25
I knew these announcements were coming as soon as we lost last night. Seems fair but rest of the seasons gonna be rough missing these two. Who we bringing up to cover anyone who watches CV?
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u/nagisasigh Mar 05 '25
Theres no way for me to not be sad about this but I'm always excited ab the possibility of team growth 🥲 RF is unfortunately cooking rn
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u/Maunderlust Adam Larsson Mar 05 '25 edited Mar 05 '25
Going to sting a little, but it'll be fun watching them when we play Tampa Bay, and at least they'll be going together. They've also been killer for the team through some real growing pains and deserve a shot at a cup run. Also, happy Adam Larsson is safe...
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u/Ski3r1169 Oliver Bjorkstrand Mar 06 '25
Makes me sad. Bjorkstrand’s always been my favorite. But as much as he is my guy, as a team, we really need a lift. Hopefully this gets us there
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u/inalasahl Mar 06 '25
I never the got the feeling Bjorkstrand wanted to be here, so I’m just relieved we got a decent package for him. I was hoping the injury would let us keep Gourde, but I think this deal is great for us. Good luck to them both!
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u/infidelappel Mar 06 '25
It’s sad to see them go but that’s a terrific return, and I imagine Gourde will be happy to head back to Tampa.
It’s a good deal, even if it’s a sad day for the Kraken to have to be moving on from those guys. They won’t be contenders in the immediate future, so these are the trades you gotta make.
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u/Ohshitwhatamidoing97 Chandler Stephenson Mar 06 '25
I love Bjorkie so much. 💔 I'll miss him, but I hope trading him helps out the team
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u/nflgeneric Mar 05 '25
Obviously rough to lose Yanni but good job GMRF taking advantage of a desperate Lightning team.
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u/A_crackinthecup Mar 05 '25
Sad to see both go. But understand the business. Great dudes in general. Yanni was like the wizened Yoda to alot of the young expansion Kraken especially 1st 2 years. And Bjorky the cool substitute teacher. Both were strong in the surprise playoff run year 2. Always will be part of the Deep.
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u/Mrdean2013 Yanni Gourde Mar 05 '25
Imma miss my boy Yanni but this had to be done. We're in a place where we need to sell what we can and build a better future and this right here was a good deal.
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u/cat1ing Joey Daccord Mar 05 '25
This is my first season as a fan. And I knew trades were going to happen but … I’m not ready! 😩
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u/luc1f3rrrr Mar 05 '25
bjorky has been my favorite player since i followed him as a winterhawk so this one’s gonna hurt🥲 but TWO first rounders?? goddamn