Ron Francis, the general manager of the Seattle Kraken, has always loved Joel Farabee, going back to his final years as GM of the Carolina Hurricanes. So this rumor is not that surprising. Meanwhile,

Seattle Kraken forward Yanni Gourde returned to practice today in a non-contact jersey. Gourde has been out since Jan. 2 after suffering a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old is currently on the injured reserve but is beginning to ramp up his recovery process and is inching closer to a return.

We’re exactly seven weeks from the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline and we’ve got you covered at Daily Faceoff with at least one trade-focused story every day until Deadline Day.

The Kraken could deal multiple players at the upcoming NHL trade deadline including Brandon Tanev and Yanni Gourde.

Stephens scored a goal in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Ducks. The goal was Stephens' first in 20 contests with the Kraken this season. He's added two assists, 14 shots on net, 16 hits and a minus-5 rating.

The Maple Leafs are looking to finally have success in the postseason in 2024-25, and should acquire Yanni Gourde in that quest.

Gourde (lower body) doesn't have a timeline for his return to the lineup, Mike Benton of the Kraken Audio Network reports Saturday. Gourde will miss his eighth straight game versus the Kings on Saturday.

Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde (37) attempts a shot in the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. The Kraken have put up a 21-24-3 record and sit sixth in the Western Conference wild-card race, six points out of the playoff picture but with three more games played than second-place Calgary.

The Mikko Rantanen trade brought up NHL speculation about the futures of the Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner and Penguins' Sidney Crosby, which were quickly addressed.

Gourde has appeared in 35 games this season with the Kraken, where he has six goals, 16 points, and 58 hits. Overall, he provides decent secondary offensive production and grit, so he could be a solid addition for the Bruins if they find themselves in a better spot in the standings near the deadline.

Connor McDavid is back and the blender is out. Ahead of Monday’s game against the Seattle Kraken, Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch made a few changes to his team’s forward lines.

This is the season to believe that everyone is capable of putting the Maple Leafs over the top. The Leafs might just be Joel Edmundson and Ilya Lyubushkin away from contending for the Stanley Cup.