Kraken’s Gourde out five to seven weeks after sports hernia surgey

The Seattle Kraken will be without one of their alternate captains for over a month.

Forward Yanni Gourde underwent successful surgery to repair a sports hernia and is expected to be out of the lineup for approximately five to seven weeks, the team announced Friday.

Gourde, 33, last played on Jan. 2 against the Vancouver Canucks. In 35 games with the Kraken this season, he has six goals and 10 assists.

The pending UFA’s name has been brought up in trade speculation, but with the injury likely keeping him out past the March 7th trade deadline, finding a trade partner may now be more difficult for the Kraken.

Gourde was selected by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft prior to their inaugural season. The Saint-Narcisse, Que., native won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

He has played in 580 career NHL games with the Kraken and Lightning and has 132 goals and 200 assists.

Seattle is currently 23-27-3 and eight points back of the Calgary Flames for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.