The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to be active at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. As one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, they’ll be looking to make improvements in hopes of making this their year. One name linked to them this season is Seattle Kraken forward Yanni Gourde. Speculation about him being the Maple Leafs’ top target intensified when NHL insider Pierre LeBrun reported that Gourde would be willing to waive his NTC to join Toronto.
What could a Gourde trade look like? Here’s a proposal—who says no?
The Kraken are a team with a lot of young talent both on their NHL roster and in their system. Because of this, they don’t necessarily need Max Domi in return; they have players who can step in and fill Gourde’s spot. What they need is depth forwards who can focus on the defensive side of the puck. David Kämpf fits that role perfectly—he plays hard on the forecheck, supports the cycle, and excels in his own zone. He’s also a strong face-off man and penalty-killing specialist.
In addition, the Kraken would receive a 2025 fifth-round pick and Alex Steeves. Steeves has been excellent in the American Hockey League with the Toronto Marlies but lacks a clear path to the NHL with the Maple Leafs. He could, however, become a solid depth scoring option for Seattle.
For the Maple Leafs, they get their guy. Adding Gourde gives them flexibility—he can play on the wing in their top six or slide in as their 3C. This move could push Domi into the top six, potentially reuniting him with Auston Matthews, a duo that thrived late last season.
With Connor Dewar playing nightly as their 4C, Kämpf becomes expendable. Additionally, his higher cap hit ($2.4M) means Toronto would need to move him to make the deal work financially.
Who Says No?
While the deal makes sense for both sides, the longer the Kraken waits to trade Gourde, the higher the asking price could climb. For that reason, I believe Seattle would be the team that would say no. They might be able to get that draft pick, up to a second or third-rounder, or even look for a better roster player than Kampf in return.
On the other hand, it doesn’t make much sense for the Maple Leafs to decline. They’d be acquiring one of their top trade targets, freeing up cap space, and still holding onto their top prospects and higher-value draft picks.