Gourde out first two months of season for Kraken after shoulder surgery

Yanni Gourde is expected to be out for the start of the Seattle Kraken's inaugural season after having shoulder surgery, general manager Ron Francis said Wednesday.

The forward was selected by the Kraken from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft presented by Upper Deck.
"He already had [the surgery]," Francis said. "So he'll be out for a few months, probably miss the first couple months of the season, but we still think he's that good a player that we wanted to pick him. When he comes back healthy and ready to go for us, he'll be a big addition to our team."
The Kraken begin their first NHL season at the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 12.

Gourde reportedly had surgery this week. He last played July 7 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens; four months expected recovery time would be early November.
Gourde was one of 15 forwards selected by Seattle on Wednesday. He helped the Lightning win the Stanley Cup for the second straight season, scoring seven points (six goals, one assist) in 23 Stanley Cup Playoff games. The 29-year-old scored 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) in 56 regular-season games and has four seasons remaining on a six-year, $31 million contract ($5.2 million average annual value) he signed with Tampa Bay on Nov. 2, 2018.
Gourde was not drafted and signed with the Lightning as a free agent March 10, 2014. He has scored 187 points (80 goals, 107 assists) in 310 regular-season games and 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) in 69 playoff games.