Leafs target two-time Stanley Cup champion in latest trade rumour!

The phone has been ringing in Seattle. Reports have indicated that the Kraken has been receiving calls on forward Yanni Gourde, and one team calling in could very well be the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Gourde was mentioned by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, who recently explained how both Brandon Tanev and Gourde had landed on the trade block.

The Kraken was quite active during the summer, getting top free agents on board in order to push for a playoff spot, however, after 13 games, Seattle is 5-7-1, sitting in sixth place in the Pacific Division. Unfortunately, it’s been a sluggish start for Chandler Stephenson with the offense drying up in general.

Hence the idea of a trade to change things up, though Seravalli felt the Kraken might still be somewhat reluctant to move Gourde.

«A bunch of teams have called about Gourde to this point, the Kraken have rebuffed that and not shown any interest in moving him. Tanev I think would be a little bit different.»

Since the start of the 2024-24 season, Toronto has been struggling to draw some offense from the bottom six and Gourde might be the perfect solution for the Maple Leafs, especially since the Kraken seeks help on its blue line.
Gourde is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2025, but there’d be hope if he brings the much-needed offense to the Leafs of a deal coming in Toronto.

For now, Gourde is not his usual self in Seattle, putting up just three assists in 13 contests, but a change in scenery could bring him back to the forward that gets a 19 goals and 47 points per 82-game average.

He is also a gritty forward and a defensive center who can drop the gloves when needed and usually averages nearly 96 hits per season for his career.

On top of that, he is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, having won the prestigious championships in back to back season with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. More of what Toronto needs in the dressing room.

The only issue would be his cap hit at $5.7 million that would have the Maple Leafs asking for salary retention, but could easily offer up Nick Robertson and newly acquired defenseman Matt Benning in the mix.

I sincerely feel like he could fill an important void in Toronto and general manager Brad Treliving better get on that phone before the line is always busy…