Yanni Gourde simply grew to become the primary 33-year-old ahead to land a six-year contract for the reason that NHL launched a wage cap twenty years in the past.
It’s no coincidence that he signed his take care of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Bolts entrance workplace seeks out surplus worth wherever it will possibly discover it, and common supervisor Julien BriseBois tried (and failed) to pursue equally structured offers with Alex Killorn and Steven Stamkos earlier than they left city as unrestricted free brokers the previous two summers.
In getting Gourde to conform to a six-year extension carrying a $2.33 million common annual worth Monday, BriseBois inked a take care of only a few comparables. Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev and Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang are the one different gamers to get that lengthy of a dedication on the identical age since 2011, in keeping with PuckPedia, and neither of them was a middle-six winger on the cusp of free company.
Gourde’s deal consists of signing-bonus funds due every year to mitigate any future danger of a buyout and a full no-trade clause to ensure he stays in Tampa so long as he desires to be there.
Yanni Gourde 6 yr $2.33M Cap Hit #Bolts deal:
Yr 1 $1M Wage, 2.01M Signing Bonus
Yr 2 $1M & 2.01M SB
Yr 3 1M & 1.56M SB
Yr 4 1M & 808K SB
Yr 5 1M & 806K SB
Yr 6 1M & 806K SBContains full No Commerce Clause all through
Rep’d by Paul Corbeil of Paraphehttps://t.co/A7ld5TB9MX
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) June 2, 2025
Nonetheless, what makes the contract particularly distinctive is the truth that Gourde had leverage and nonetheless wound up with a wage cap quantity that may instantly be lowered by roughly 55 p.c from the place it was beforehand. This comes at a time when the cap is taking a big soar leaguewide, and it arms the Lightning with the house wanted to construct a greater roster within the fast time period.
In alternate, Gourde will get to stay with a corporation he loves whereas locking in a big quantity of safety coming off a season the place he misplaced 25 video games to a groin damage.
Gourde first established himself as a full-time NHLer with Tampa Bay, successful Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, earlier than touchdown with the Seattle Kraken within the enlargement draft. The Lightning then reacquired him forward of the March 7 commerce deadline with the idea it could have the ability to maintain him long run.
“He’s nonetheless a extremely good participant,” BriseBois stated of Gourde on the time. “His important high quality is his velocity, his competitiveness, his relentlessness, his fearlessness. He nonetheless has all that.”
Gourde additionally owns eight consecutive seasons with at the very least 30 factors and brings versatility as a winger who can line up down the center.
The Lightning’s contractual wager can successfully be boiled right down to a perception that he’ll ship extra worth at the start of the deal and truthful worth via its center portion earlier than leaving the group with some outs as soon as he hits the age of 38 or 39 seasons, if wanted.
Within the occasion that he’s not wholesome at that juncture, Gourde may be positioned on long-term injured reserve. If he’s nonetheless capable of play however is ineffective, most of his cap hit will virtually actually be eligible to be buried within the AHL at that time.
And if Gourde remains to be performing in Years 5 and 6, the Lightning simply hit a towering dwelling run with this contract.
Irrespective of the way it performs out, they’ve assumed little or no danger whereas displaying some ingenuity on the bargaining desk. Any dialogue in regards to the tax advantages Sun Belt teams enjoy must also think about how well-run the Lightning and Stanley Cup-bound Florida Panthers have been whereas constructing organizations that few can match.
A basic working precept for BriseBois has all the time been to borrow from the long run to enhance the current. He verbalized that after buying Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand from Seattle in March for 2 first-round picks and a second-rounder.
“I’d slightly have a lineup full of excellent gamers than a financial institution of a ton of draft picks,” BriseBoise stated. “As a result of I feel finally, what we’re attempting to do is win hockey video games. We wish to win a number of hockey video games this season, subsequent season, each season. We’re chasing a championship now this season, however we’re going to be chasing a championship subsequent season and for the foreseeable future.
“So if I can use these picks to assist me accomplish these targets of successful as many hockey video games as doable and chasing championships, I feel that’s my job to go forward and get these transactions accomplished and purchase these gamers.”
The opposite a part of the equation is retaining these gamers on contracts that they’re prone to outperform on the ice.
In signing Gourde past his thirty ninth birthday, he’s accomplished simply that.
(Picture: Kim Klement Neitzel / Imagn Photographs)
