Yanni Gourde will continue his career in Tampa following the announcement by vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois that he has signed a six-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Lightning detailed that Gourde was brought back to Tampa Bay through a three-team trade involving the Detroit Red Wings and Seattle Kraken, which took place on March 5, 2025.
Gourde played in 21 games with the Bolts, collecting 13 assists and 14 points.
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Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) celebrates his goal against the Florida Panthers with center Brayden Point (21) and center Yanni Gourde (37) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) -
Tampa Bay Lightning center Yanni Gourde (37) follows a play during the first period of Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals series against the Montreal Canadiens, Wednesday, July 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) -
From left, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jan Rutta, right wing Barclay Goodrow, center Blake Coleman and defenseman Victor Hedman wait to congratulate center Yanni Gourde (37) after his goal during the second period in Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals against the Montreal Canadiens, Monday, June 28, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) -
Tampa Bay Lightning center Yanni Gourde (37) before an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers Sunday, March 21, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) -
Tampa Bay Lightning center Yanni Gourde (37) reacts after getting into a fight with New York Islanders right wing Leo Komarov during the third period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup semifinal playoff series Tuesday, June 15, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) -
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After the trade, Gourde ranked third among all Lightning skaters for assists, and his 50 hits were the second-most on the team, the Lightning said.
Gourde also played in all five of Tampa Bay’s playoff games this year.
Gourde is a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
Originally undrafted, Gourde joined the Lightning as a free agent on March 10, 2014. He stepped onto the NHL stage with Tampa in December 2015 in Toronto, where he achieved his first career point, an assist.
Gourde played 310 regular-season games with the Lightning from 2015 to 2021, where he had 80 goals and 187 points to rank seventh on the team for goals and eighth for points during that time.
From 2018 to 2021, Gourde played in 69 Lightning playoff games and recorded 16 goals, 29 points, and led the team with 47 takeaways.
Gourde was selected by Seattle in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft and appeared in 271 regular-season games with 52 goals, 146 points, and 219 penalty minutes.
According to the Lightning, Gourde’s six-year contract is worth an average annual value of $2.33 million.
