The Washington Capitals find themselves at the top of the NHL’s Eastern Conference over halfway through the 2024-25 season. The club seems destined for a high seed in the playoffs as they are five points ahead of the New Jersey Devils for first in the Metropolitan Division and hold two games in hand.
Washington’s hot first half puts them in a position to be true buyers at the March 7 trade deadline for the first time in several years, and rumors have started swirling. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta kicked things off by linking the Capitals to Seattle Kraken forward Yanni Gourde in an early edition of the outlet’s yearly Trade Watch List.
We're officially less than 2 months away from the Trade Deadline. Yesterday, we put out our first Trade Watch List of the season, featuring 25 (26) names to keep tabs on ⤵️ https://t.co/Xdyrv7GZwF
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) January 8, 2025
Gourde has been with Seattle since they plucked him from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 Expansion Draft. The 33-year-old centerman won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning, and the six-year contract extension he signed with Tampa Bay in 2018 is set to expire after this season.
The Kraken are fading fast in the Western Conference, with a record of 18-23-3 through their first 44 games of the 2024-25 campaign. They currently sit seventh in the NHL’s Pacific Division and are 10 points out of a wild card playoff position.
Per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Seattle has been fielding calls about Gourde’s availability as early as November this season. The feisty centerman has 16 points (6g, 10a) in 35 games and is one of the club’s top penalty killers, skating 1:31 of shorthanded ice time per game.
Gourde could represent a second chance for the Capitals to address their depth down the middle this season. The team’s November acquisition of Lars Eller from the Pittsburgh Penguins has yet to settle the team’s struggling third line. Gourde is also a very versatile player with prior success playing on the wing.
The former 60-point scorer carries a hefty $5.17 million cap hit and has a 23-team no-trade list. He is currently on injured reserve retroactive to January 4 due to a lower-body injury.
