Player Discussion: Yanni Gourde

[SRQKiter]

If you look at how his face turns to the side from the hit, instead of continuing to face straight and his whole head cranking towards his shoulder, you'd see what I mean. He caught little enough of his head for it to take much impact at all. Most of it was taken on his neck from his face turning to the side. Similar to what would happen if someone got punched in the nose from a side angle, versus being punched in the temple / ear / side of the head. Sure, one inch closer to his ear, and he may have had a concussion. I'm certainly not arguing the potential, just the reality of the hit itself. If it wasn't incidental like you say, then that means it was intentional, and even the DoPS disagrees with you. Avoidable? Yes. Intentional? No.

Damage taken aside, I did say that the message needed to be sent, and it's hard to disagree with the punishment since it was an avoidable headshot. I just don't agree with the "OMG Gourde is a dirty goon / was trying to hurt him / going for his head / no place for that in the game, he did it intentionally" stance a lot of people seem to be taking. There are plenty of other examples of truly dirty hits from players with dirty reputations that go unseen or unpunished, so I'm not trying to hear that garbage from other teams' hypocritical fanbases.

I think we all know that Yanni is going 110% at all times when he's on the ice, and is anything but a dirty player. Sometimes hits like that happen. I'm not going to be the one to perpetuate anything beside the fact that he should have made a last-minute course correction, and failed to do so.

I'm not arguing, nor have I ever, that YG is a dirty player. He's not. What he is is the the freakin' Tasmanian Devil and sometimes stuff gets in the way. That doesn't make him any less culpable.

 

[EXTRAS]

Back to finally scoring again. 8 points in last 8 games. He had a really cold streak in the middle of the season.

21 points in first 22 games of the season. And then a really cold December January and part of February. Finally beginning to score again, thank god.

 

[Sky04]

Back to finally scoring again. 8 points in last 8 games. He had a really cold streak in the middle of the season.

21 points in first 22 games of the season. And then a really cold December January and part of February. Finally beginning to score again, thank god.

Both streaks are tied to playing with Point, they have chemistry.

 

[BowDownToVasilevskiy]

Kicking this backup.
Any regrets surrounding his extension?

 

[LightningStrikes]

Kicking this backup.
Any regrets surrounding his extension?

Giving him that term and $ was one thing, but the full NTC seems completely unwarranted and will bite us eventually.

 

[Sky04]

Giving him that term and $ was one thing, but the full NTC seems completely unwarranted and will bite us eventually.

Yeah if you wanted to lock him down, fine but he did nothing to deserve a NTC for nearly the entrity of that contract.

 

[Lightning1995]

Yeah if you wanted to lock him down, fine but he did nothing to deserve a NTC for nearly the entrity of that contract.

NTC has not kicked in. He can be dealt until I think 7/1.

Not a playoff producer

 

[Hoek]

I feel like they worried about him becoming another Marchessault and caved too soon.

 

[Obviously]

Changed his entire game the day he signed the new contract. Quite a trend on this team it seems

 

[Cigar City]

Changed his entire game the day he signed the new contract. Quite a trend on this team it seems

Maybe we'll get another Russian tell-all.

 

[Bolt 45]

Maybe we'll get another Russian tell-all.

If so, that Russian tell-all needs to be honest and introspective this year too.

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

i want gourde back 100%

 

[God King Fudge]

I feel like they worried about him becoming another Marchessault and caved too soon.

I agree with this. I still think he's one of the more valuable mid range guys we have, but looking back, this was definitely a bit too soon.

 

[Its a Bolts Life]

I like Gourde a lot, I feel he brings a lot of energy to the team when he plays. The Money may be to much and the term might be a bit long, but as a lot have said already, its the NTC that will hurt us with him. He is more than likely going to fit into that 25/25 player the rest of his career and I don't know if we should have committed as long as we did with him.

 

[Lightning1995]

Does not appear he’s a playoff producer

 

[DFC]

Does not appear he’s a playoff producer

He takes a lot of abuse in the playoffs. Well, last year and this. He's a little too easy to ragdoll, I think. Kind of like a better version, but not that much better, than Namestnikov. It's definitely concerning.

I think we're going to tinker with the roster in the off-season. Not an overhaul, but I think some guys who were considered "safe" before now will all be on the table in the right deal. Gourde, IMO, is one of them. I could see him moving for a top-sixer who plays a heavier game.

 

[rt]

Any interest in dealing Gourde to Phoenix for the 14th overall pick before the NTC kicks in? Tampa gets flexibility under the cap and an asset they can parlay or use to take the sting off another asset they wouldn’t have moved previously.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Any interest in dealing Gourde to Phoenix for the 14th overall pick before the NTC kicks in? Tampa gets flexibility under the cap and an asset they can parlay or use to take the sting off another asset they wouldn’t have moved previously.

How about Crouse + 2nd instead?

 

[rt]

How about Crouse + 2nd instead?

We have to keep Crouse for the same reason you want him. But you could take Lavoie probably.

 

[JoVel]

Any interest in dealing Gourde to Phoenix for the 14th overall pick before the NTC kicks in? Tampa gets flexibility under the cap and an asset they can parlay or use to take the sting off another asset they wouldn’t have moved previously.

They should look into moving guys like Callahan and Palat first, who are playing nowhere near to what they're paid. If that doesn't work then they'll have to move Gourde and/or Miller.

If it comes to it, I definitely wouldn't mind getting a 14th OA pick for Gourde. Good value for what would essentially be a cap dump for us

 

[rt]

Coyotes also have Joseph’s little brother, P.O. Would POJ be enticing? He’s developed very nicely since being a late first round pick a few years ago.

Probably couldn’t part with Crouse, but would be open to move another burly, rough and tumble winger in a Christian Fischer. He’s young with upside but seems to have fallen out of Tocchet’s good graces a little.

Feels like there might be something there for Yanni Gourde. Obviously there are other players you’d rather get rid of, but it might be tough to find takers, let alone anyone offering top value.

 

[JoVel]

Feels like there might be something there for Yanni Gourde. Obviously there are other players you’d rather get rid of, but it might be tough to find takers, let alone anyone offering top value.

I don't think that would really be a problem, but rather getting them to waive their NMC's. Callahan has only one year left on his contract, someone will gladly take him with a pick or two. Palat probably still has good enough of a reputation for someone to take a look at him.

We probably don't care about "top value". Top value to us is to get Point signed to an ideal contract.

 

[rt]

I don't think that would really be a problem, but rather getting them to waive their NMC's. Callahan has only one year left on his contract, someone will gladly take him with a pick or two. Palat probably still has good enough of a reputation for someone to take a look at him.

We probably don't care about "top value". Top value to us is to get Point signed to an ideal contract.

I also figured Tampa would be looking to shake things up a little. I figured more size and a different mix would be considered. Then there are the Erik Karlsson rumors.

 

[DFC]

They should look into moving guys like Callahan and Palat first, who are playing nowhere near to what they're paid. If that doesn't work then they'll have to move Gourde and/or Miller.

If it comes to it, I definitely wouldn't mind getting a 14th OA pick for Gourde. Good value for what would essentially be a cap dump for us

I'd do it, I think. Gourde has been underwhelming in the playoffs. He gets ragdolled a lot.

 

[Todd1a]

They should look into moving guys like Callahan and Palat first, who are playing nowhere near to what they're paid. If that doesn't work then they'll have to move Gourde and/or Miller.

If it comes to it, I definitely wouldn't mind getting a 14th OA pick for Gourde. Good value for what would essentially be a cap dump for us

Ya but can we have a 7th rounder instead of a 1st rounder as we draft better in the late rounds lol