Candidate for intermission interview of the season right here from @PiperShawTV Also Yanni Gourde is a real one. Ton of time for this guy.
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Report: Yanni Gourde would be willing to waive his M-NTC for the Maple Leafs
Photo credit: © Danny Wild-Imagn Images
Dec 27, 2024, 08:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 27, 2024, 07:05 EST
Seattle Kraken forward Yanni Gourde would reportedly be open to waiving his modified no-trade clause (M-NTC) for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Athletic conducted an NHL trade matchmaker, and Gourde was included among the players on the list. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun picked the Leafs as the perfect fit, noting that the centre would be willing to go to Toronto if the Kraken opted to ship him out.
It remains to be seen whether the Kraken will actually make Gourde available ahead of the deadline. You may remember a year ago at this time, Jordan Eberle’s name was bandied about quite a bit because he was a pending unrestricted free agent and the Kraken weren’t playoff-bound. But instead of moving him, the Kraken signed Eberle to a contract extension to remove him from the trade market. Seattle now needs to make a decision on Gourde, and as of writing this, there haven’t been any contract discussions. If indeed Gourde is moved, my matchmaking crystal ball has him landing with Toronto because he fits the criteria of what the Leafs need as far as a third-line center upgrade. He won two Stanley Cup championships with the Lightning and plays the kind of game that translates come playoff time. He’s got a modified no-trade, but my understanding is he would have no issue with a move to the Leafs. And he’s the kind of player general manager Brad Treliving appreciates — not shying away from the rough-and-tumble hockey played in playoffs.
An obvious caveat is that this all depends on what Seattle plans on doing with the 33-year-old as last season saw Jordan Eberle on the block but was suddenly extended right before the deadline. It is also dependent on how the season goes for the Kraken in the latter half, though they sit eight points out of the final Wild Card spot in the West at the time of filing.
With reports that Gourde has not had many extension talks with the Kraken and is mired in a five-game losing streak, it seems logical that they could be open to selling off parts of their roster as the season progresses. They have already shipped away pending UFA Will Borgen to bring back Kaapo Kakko, and there could be more moves with the future in mind on the way in Seattle.
Since Gourde is willing to waive his M-NTC for the Leafs and the team requires bolstering its depth up the middle, the two teams seem like logical trade partners. GM Brad Treliving has made it known he wants to get a third-line centre, and the team has been reportedly looking to find one since the start of training camp. Toronto and Seattle seem like logical trade partners in this endeavour, with the only question remaining being how much it would cost to get Gourde.
If the Leafs were able to get Gourde, he would give them quality minutes on the third-line and responsible two-way play that the team has been missing since Ryan O’Reilly left in the summer of 2023. He has put up eight straight seasons of at least 30 points or more and is well on pace to make that nine straight by the time this campaign wraps up.
Gourde has recorded 15 points (five goals and 10 assists) in 32 games played so far this season while being second in faceoff persistency among Seattle’s regulars at 49.1% behind only Chandler Stephenson. He also has 23 blocks and 49 hits which would place him tied for ninth and seventh on the Leafs respectively. Even though he is averaging just 15:28 of ice time and started roughly 60% of his shifts in the defensive zone, his underlying numbers at 5v5 have been solid.
CF% | FF% | SF% | GF% | XGF% | SCF% | HDCF% | HDGF% | PDO |
53.37 | 54.21 | 50.27 | 48.65 | 51.20 | 52.85 | 55.47 | 58.82 | 0.993 |
He may be on the smaller side standing at 5’9″ and weighing 171 pounds, but he makes up for it with his feistiness and tenacity. It is Gourde’s willingness to play that type of hockey that has resulted in him having a knack for upping his game in the playoffs. This was evidenced by being a key member of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s two-straight Stanley Cup victories, including the 2020 run where he finished fifth on the team in points that fall. His most recent appearance in 2023 also saw him be productive as he led the Kraken in scoring with 13 points (four goals and nine assists) in 14 games played.
While it remains to be seen if this move will indeed come to fruition, the Leafs won’t be the only team in the hunt for Gourde’s services. The Athletic also listed the Vancouver Canucks as an ideal trade partner and they are a team that needs offensive reinforcement, so Treliving will likely have to be willing to pony up if he wants to win the Gourde sweepstakes.
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