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Perception of Yanni Gourde in Tampa Bay Lightning social media circles has been all over the map since he blasted onto the scene back in 2017-18. That’s what happens when a player delivers back-to-back 20-goal campaigns out of nowhere, earns a significant contract extension, and follows it up with lesser production. It’s that rollercoaster that has seen Gourde’s name show up in rumors about potential cap-clearing moves for Julien BriseBois’ Bolts. Boiled down to basics, the argument is that $5.2M is a lot of cap space to spend on a player who scores 10 goals per year.
Of course, there’s been plenty of words written to show that Gourde delivers far more than his offensive counting stats during the 2019-20 regular season might suggest. He’s an incredibly effective play driver, and fills a middle-six role on this team almost perfectly. Even when the puck luck isn’t bouncing in his direction, he’s still contributing in quieter ways.
Perhaps the best part of the 2020 postseason for Gourde was that he matched that usual quiet competence with a return to his point-scoring ways. With 14 points in 25 playoff games, Gourde was an integral part to the Lightning’s playoff success. Trying to shut down the Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, and Ondrej Palat line wasn’t enough for opposing defences, because Gourde was next over the boards.
The goals and assists combined with reasonably strong underlying numbers to make Gourde a key contributor for Jon Cooper and his coaching staff. After the Point line, Gourde was the next best forward in terms of five-on-five shot attempt share; he also boasted an on-ice expected goal share north of 54%. Simply put, he did most of what you’d want to see out of a middle-six forward option.
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