The Toronto Maple Leafs were right to avoid pulling the trigger on Yanni Gourde. The Leafs been linked to the former Seattle Kraken forward for quite some time now. But on Wednesday, the Leafs division rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning, backed up the Brinks truck to reacquire Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
The Bolts got the two aforementioned players in a three-team trade that involved another Toronto maple Leafs division rival, the Detroit Red Wings, as brokers in the deal. The price of admission of the Lightning was two first-round picks for Gourde (2026 and 2027), while the Bolts ponied up a 2025 second-round pick for Bjorkstrand.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Draft picks are overrated. There’s no guarantee that a first-round guy will amount to anything in the NHL. While that may be true, draft picks are precious capital in North American sports.
Think about it this way. A draft pick is a lottery ticket that can land you a hefty prize. If you hit the jackpot, that prize can turn out to be a transformation one.
Imagine if the Leafs had traded their 2016 first-round pick only to find out years later that it was the first-overall selection? A bone-headed trade deadline move could have cost the Leafs Auston Matthews. Fortunately, no Leafs GM prior to 2016 traded that pick.
That’s the problem I have with the Lightning making this move. The Lightning have potentially given up two golden tickets and one, let’s say, roughly a silver ticket for two bottom-six forwards, one of which stands to become a free agent.
Plus, the Lightning had to get the Red Wings involved just to make the cap hit work. It’s a ridiculous price to pay for two guys who might not amount to much in Tampa.
Why Toronto Maple Leafs Were Right to Avoid Overpaying
I get that some fans might be pounding their fists on the table, railing over the lack of moves on the Leafs part. But when looking at the exorbitant prices the Lightning and Florida Panthers have paid for over-the-hill players, it signals to me that these teams are desperate to do something, anything, against the perceived monster that could be the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs.
Excuse me, but Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand are not worth two first-round picks. Seth Jones is not worth a first-round pick.
But I will say this: The Leafs would be right to give up two first-round picks, or more if we were talking about acquiring someone like Miro Heiskanen, Clayton Keller, or Josh Morrissey. Unfortunately, we are not.
The Leafs win by allowing their rivals to make bonehead moves. GM Brad Treliving and Brendan Shanahan, while their jobs may be on the line, also understand that these moves could impact well beyond this season.
That’s why the Leafs have done well to sidestep the carnage and let their division rivals duke it out. The Lightning and Panthers will likely kill one another in the first round of this year’s playoffs. So, the Leafs must do everything in their power to win the division and let Tampa and Florida annihilate one another.