The Seattle Kraken selected forward Yanni Gourde ($5.17 million) from the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in yesterday’s expansion draft. Today, per a report in The Athletic, he will be out four months due to shoulder surgery.
Yanni Gourde out four months after shoulder surgery
GM Ron Francis built his new team from the blue-line out, but when it came to forwards he chose more crash than flash. “We wanted players with character,” he said. “We certainly wanted players that compete hard.”
The 29 year-old was a key player for Tampa’s runs to two titles. All he knows is how to compete hard and that’s what he will bring to the Kraken once he recovers from shoulder surgery. His agent, Paul Corbeil told Joe Smith the procedure took place on Monday.
This past season Gourde scored 17 goals and 36 points in 56 games while averaging 17:04. The versatile forward can play both wing and center taking over 600 face-offs on the Lightning’s “Grind Line”. In the playoffs he scored six goals and seven points in 23 games. During both Cup runs he played in 48 games and registered 21 points.
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