A step towards a new era: Recapping the Seattle Kraken trade deadline, 2025
By Jayd Serdy, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Our Seattle Kraken had a productive couple of days leading up the Friday’s 12PM Pacific/3PM Eastern NHL trade deadline. The trade deadline is typically a busy time of the year for everyone in the hockey world, while the Kraken have been somewhat quiet during it in their existence besides their fire sale in the inaugural season as they didn’t do anything to add too much in year two and last season saw a very light sell with Alex Wennberg traded to the Rangers. This year was projected to be a sellers market, which basically means that teams could sell players for high value in picks or prospects in a trade, and it sure was for Seattle as they were able to get some good value for their players that are set to be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season while packaging a player with term in there as well. Here’s an overview of this years trade deadline for the Kraken, looking at the three deals that they made leading up to it.
Seattle Kraken forwards (from left to right) Eeli Tolvanen, Yanni Gourde, and Oliver Bjorkstrand during the teams second round Stanley Cup playoffs matchup against the Dallas Stars during the 2022-23 postseason. The trio played on a line together for the majority of their time together as Kraken, becoming so close that former head coach Dave Hakstol referred to them as acting like brothers and fighting like “cats and dogs.” (Photo by Liv Lyons for Circling Seattle Sports)
Bjorkstrand and Gourde sent to Tampa Bay in biggest deal of deadline for Seattle
Seattle started off with a pretty big splash on Wednesday when they completed a three-team trade with the Detroit Red Wings and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Kraken sent forwards Yanni Gourde, Oliver Bjorkstrand and a 2026 fifth-round pick to Tampa Bay in exchange for Mikey Eyssimont, a 2026 and 2027 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick. Detroit received a 2025 fourth-round pick in exchange for retaining 25% of Gourde’s salary, Seattle retained 50% of Gourde’s salary which really sweetened this deal for the Lightning. Both first-round picks are top-10 protected and owned by Tampa Bay. If either moves back and becomes a 2028 pick due to being in the top 10, Seattle receives an additional third-round pick in 2028. If both picks slide to 2028 and 2029, respectively, Seattle receives a third-round pick in 2028 and 2029. It’s a good value deal for the Kraken, and while it’s tough for them to move on from Bjorkstrand as Francis said he “wasn’t in any hurry to put Oliver in a deal,” Seattle securing those two first rounders will be big for them as they look to truly retool and acquire real talent this offseason to return to the postseason hopefully in the 2025-26 season. This was the first deal that the Kraken made in the days approaching the NHL trade deadline and was easily the biggest one that they made this year.
Seattle Kraken forward and alternate captain Yanni Gourde during practice day for the 2024 Winter Classic, a game in which he scored against the Las Vegas Golden Knights, at T-Mobile Park. (Photos by Liz Wolter for Circling Seattle Sports)
Gourde was an original Kraken, being selected in the 2021 expansion draft from the Tampa Bay Lightning after some great years there, winning two Stanley Cups. He’d played in 35 games with the Kraken prior to being injured this season, as he dealt with what head coach Dan Bylsma called a “mid-body injury” for weeks before having surgery to repair a sports hernia. “The Pepper Pot” had one return game with Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena before the Kraken went on the road and he ultimately got shipped back to Tampa Bay in a move that will surely be a positive one for him and his family considering how beloved the their family is there and the memories that Yanni made with the Lightning. Gourde recorded 17 points (Six goals, eleven assists) over his 36 games played this season with Seattle. Gourde’s passion, high energy, toughness, and grit were all valuable pieces to this team as he wasn’t perhaps the flashiest player on the ice during his time with the Kraken but he was so often the heartbeat of the organization. Few players ever really get that sort of designation for a franchise in professional sports, but you could always tell when Yanni Gourde was on the ice for Seattle. Whether that was getting in the middle of scrums to stick up for his teammates and having a smile while doing so, laying a hit despite being one of the smaller players on the roster, and the occasional scrappy offensive play that he’d make to help his team score. For years, Lightning fans would ask for Gourde back whenever Seattle would play Tampa Bay, and it goes to show you just how beloved Yanni had become by both fanbases because both sides cherish him so much for his passionate play on the ice but his fun loving personality off it. Transformative players are those that must be mentioned when telling the story of a franchise, and you cannot tell the story of the Seattle Kraken without mentioning Yanni Gourde.
Seattle Kraken forward Oliver Bjorkstrand throughout the 2024-25 season during games played at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo for Circling Seattle Sports)
Oliver Bjorkstrand, nicknamed “The Maestro,” was traded to the Kraken by the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 22nd, 2022 as they had just signed Johnny Gaudreau to a mega contract and Bjorkstrand had become a “cap casualty” with the Blue Jackets needing to free up some space. Although he’s not an original Seattle player from the inaugural season, it’s felt that way since he was acquired early into the franchises existence and has become beloved by fans due to his strong play making ability and easygoing demeanor that was heavily showcased when he was named to the NHL All-Star team last season and had to cancel his vacation to San Diego. He dressed for 61 games this season before being packaged to Tampa Bay alongside former linemate Gourde in this trade, recording 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) over those games played. Oliver has been efficient at setting up plays and creating solid scoring chances for his teammates on the ice, and that creativity in his playmaking helped to inspire his “Maestro” nicknaming as he was attributed as “orchestrating” the plays around him which inspired his bobblehead this season. It was clear through the limited numbers of deals that Francis made this deadline that he didn’t want to move players with term on this roster and that he didn’t want to move someone like Bjorkstrand, who has consistently been a strong point producing forward for Seattle throughout the course of his tenure in deep sea blue, but the bundle of picks that the Lightning offered in exchange in the deal for him and Gourde was surely too good to give up. While the Kraken ideally want to keep a player like Oliver, who only strengthens their middle six forward group, it’s been made clear that Francis wants to make tweaks to this roster when summer rolls around and the resources that the team hold following the deadline in terms of picks and available cap space should ideally help them do just that. It’s up to Francis to be able to put those things together and ensure that trading a player like Bjorkstrand doesn’t end up being a wash by acquiring a player that’s objectively of the same value, but the Kraken front office now has the tools to at least take the big swings this offseason in large part due to this trade.
“Oliver and Yanni were tremendous players for our organization who led by example on and off the ice, and I wish them all the best in their next chapter with the Lightning. Decisions like these are never easy, but creating this valuable cap space and draft capital allows us to be active in improving our team moving forward.”
Seattle Kraken forward Brandon Tanev throughout the 2024-25 season during games played at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo for Circling Seattle Sports)
Brandon Tanev returns to Winnipeg
Fast forward to Friday afternoon, hours before the deadline, Brandon Tanev was traded back to Winnipeg in exchange for a second-round pick in 2027. The man nicknamed “Turbo” for his speed on the ice was selected by Seattle in the 2021 expansion draft after being left unprotected by the Winnipeg Jets, making waves around the Seattle area due to his bizarre headshots that make it appear as though he’d seen a ghost. Tanev played in 60 games for the Kraken this year with 17 total points (Nine goals, eight assists), and the main aspects of his game in high energy as a bottom six forward and his penalty killing have been valuable to this team. This trade didn’t come as a surprise, as many of us thought it would happen earlier in the season with Seattle up close to the salary cap when they were fully healthy at the beginning of the year and room seemingly needing to be cleared in some capacity. Tanev was a pending unrestricted free agent, meaning that on July 1st he could have walked away from Seattle for free if they were to not trade him ahead of this years deadline. General Manager Ron Francis capitalized on trading him for a pick that can either be used or flipped later on, and it’s some value even if it’s a pick that won’t come into play until a few years from now. The trade pushes the Kraken’s total picks within the first two round over the next three drafts to ten, with five in the first round and five in the second round. While Tanev does have value as a bottom six forward due to his energy and penalty killing ability, the contract that he was being paid by Seattle was more than he was worth at $3.5M AAV. For a forward that doesn’t contribute on the power play, has negative value (In Fenwick and corsi, at least) as an offensive player already, isn’t much of a leader, and clearly isn’t improving his overall game as the years go by, it would be detrimental for the Kraken to continue paying Tanev that much and or to re-sign him after this season comes to a close if they truly want to take a leap as a better hockey team. He provided some fun memories, but the time was now to move along.
“Brandon was an original member of the Kraken who brought high energy and grit to both ends of the ice. He was a big part of our team, and we wish him nothing but success in Winnipeg. With this trade we are pleased to add another quality draft pick giving us even more draft capital to work with as we look to improve our team next season and beyond.”
Former Seattle Kraken forward Daniel Sprong during the teams November 27th, 2024 game against the Anaheim Ducks at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photo by Nate Koppelman for Circling Seattle Sports)
Daniel Sprong shipped off to the Devils
The final trade of the day was Daniel Sprong being traded to the New Jersey Devils in a low event deal that wasn’t officially announced until after the official trade deadline had passed. Sprong was traded to Seattle on November 8th, 2024 from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for future considerations as the Kraken were kicking the tires on a player that they were familiar with, as their offense was showing poorly early into the year. Sprong played most of this stint with the organization with the teams AHL affiliate Coachella Valley Firebirds, where he seemed to have found solid footing and success as he dominated younger competition with his offensive ability. During Sprong’s time with the Kraken this season at the NHL level, he dressed for ten games with just one goal and one assist as it was clear that he wasn’t playing the sort of forechecking, physical game that head coach Dan Bylsma wanted out of his forward group and Sprong’s clear defensive issues remained present just as they were during his career season with Seattle in 2022-23. Sprong’s first encounter with the Kraken saw him light things up offensively as part of Seattle’s fourth line that featured Ryan Donato and Morgan Geekie, as nearly every Seattle skater posted career numbers in what now is increasingly apparent as an outlier season for the franchise. It was a low risk move made by general manager Ron Francis earlier in the season, getting a guy they knew had offensive skill and doing so cheaply considering that the Canucks had also realized his shortcomings as a player after signing him in the offseason. The Kraken do end up getting something out of it, although it was just a seventh round pick, as the Devils (Without Jack Hughes for the rest of the season and seemingly looking to make up for that loss in the aggregate) snatched him up. Seattle being able to get anything from Sprong, who would’ve bided his time in the AHL for the rest of the season given his lack of production at the NHL level and somewhat poor attitude once being sent down to Coachella Valley, is a sign of just how much this deadline was a sellers market.
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