Win Now, Worry Later: Lightning Double Down with Massive Trade for Cup Push

No one has ever accused Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois of being fearful of managing this franchise, and with a bold move he validated that on Wednesday. 

The Lightning are the hottest team in the NHL, having won 9 of their last 10 games. However, that didn’t cause BriseBois any trepidation in making a massive deal with Seattle just 48 hours prior to Friday’s trade deadline. 

Tampa Bay will send a pair of top-10-protected first-round draft selections (2026 and 2027), a second-round draft selection (2025), and center Mikey Eyssimont to Seattle in exchange for center Yanni Gourde and right wing Oliver Bjorkstrand, as well as a fifth-round draft selection (2026). 

“We are adding two players who are going to play significant minutes for us,” BriseBois said Wednesday in a press conference. “These are two players, who are highly competitive and have had success in the postseason in the past. 

“They have elevated their games when it mattered most.”

The initial reaction throughout the social media world wasn’t overly kind to BriseBois, whose team is now without a first-round draft selection until 2028. However, the skeptics might want to keep in mind the Lightning – with BriseBois and veteran coach Jon Cooper running operations – have the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the NHL over the last decade, as well as a pair of Stanley Cup championships. So, let’s just tap the brakes on the “Tampa got fleeced” narrative. 

“Both are skilled,” BriseBois continued. “They can play a 200-foot game. They can be used in all sorts of situations.

“If they average out 30 minutes total, that is 30 minutes (where) we have upgraded 30 minutes of ice time in terms of performance.”

In the short term, it can’t be argued that this deal improves the Lightning, and looking long term, BriseBois has the conviction that both can play a part in his team’s success for much longer than 2025. 

“I like the fact that Oliver is signed for (2026),” BriseBois said. “It’s not just the last 40 days of this season. Hopefully, we’ll have a nice, long playoff run, but we’ll get to have him on our roster for next season, as well.

“It’s still early with Yanni. We just got him today. But I know how much he enjoyed his time here (2015 through 2021). He knows all of the good things that we think of him. I think that it is realistic to hope that we’re going to be able to extend him beyond this season, as well.”

Bjorkstrand will make $5.4 million next season.

Gourde, whose remaining salary through this season will be split by both Seattle and Detroit (he was temporarily traded to the Red Wings as part of this process), returned to the Kraken lineup on Tuesday after being out for two months with a sports hernia and registered an assist in 12-plus minutes of action against Minnesota. 

Gourde’s production dropped during the 2023-24 season from 48 points in 81 games the season prior to just 33 points in 80 games last season. It is noteworthy that he averaged over 17 minutes per night in both seasons. 

This season, he has totaled 17 points in 36 games.

A healthy Gourde brings to Tampa Bay his familiarity within the organization, from BriseBois down to the players and coaching staff. He was an integral part of the Lighting Cup championships in both 2020 and 2021 before leaving for Seattle as part of the Expansion Draft. 

“Yanni can still play,” BriseBois said. “His main quality is his speed, his competitiveness, his relentlessness, his fearlessness, he still has all of that. 

“Those were on display last night (against Minnesota).”

For all of the nostalgia for Gourde, it is Bjorkstrand that is the centerpiece of this deal. 

The 29-year-old has totaled 37 points (21 goals) this season after registering 59 points on 39 goals a year ago. 

He has strung together seven consecutive seasons of at least 18 goals.

“The fact that Oliver is a right shot,” BriseBois explained, “in our mix, we can use a right-shot forward, who has that type of shot. 

“He has an elite shot. It’s his quality of shot, and his ability to get it off.”

There will be no delay in how the Lightning utilize both players. BriseBois said they will both be in Florida this evening and he expects they will play on Thursday against Buffalo. 

One option could be Bjorkstrand in place of Zemgus Girgensonson the second line while Gourde could be part of some fourth-line combination with Girgensons and Glendening.

“This is a trade where we are getting better today,” BriseBoissaid, “better tomorrow, and if we can keep Yanni, even better going forward.”

As far as the dearth of draft picks coming in upcoming seasons, BriseBois wasn’t overly concerned. 

“All first-round picks aren’t created equal,” BriseBois said. “The first pick in the draft is not the same as the 32nd pick. There is a huge discrepancy in the value of those two picks. 

“What guides us, what drives us, is trying to win a championship. That is really hard. In order to do that, you need a lot of good players. You can never have too many good players. So, what I am trying to do is to use my draft picks to acquire as many good players as possible, so that we will have the best team possible.”

BriseBois indicated that because of the salaries accumulated with this transaction, the Lightning would have under $1,000,000 remaining to work with before the trade deadline.