With the NHL Trade Freeze set to lift on Dec. 27 at midnight, the NHL rumour mill is heating up. NHL insider Pierre LeBrun had Leafs Nation excited over the Christmas break when he said that Seattle Kraken forward Yanni Gourde would be willing to waive his modified no-trade clause to join the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Seattle Kraken forward Yanni Gourde would reportedly be open to waiving his modified no-trade clause (M-NTC) for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Athletic conducted an NHL trade matchmaker, and Gourde was included among the players on the list.

The Seattle Kraken might be a key team to watch around the upcoming NHL trade deadline. Falling short of expectations and struggling to fight for a playoff spot, the Kraken have seen multiple key names pop up on trade boards.

LeBrun had the Toronto Maple Leafs as his pick for Gourde, noting that they need a hard-nosed third-line center. In addition, he shared that he believes that Gourde "would have no issue with a move to the Leafs."

Pierre LeBrun isn’t completely confident Yanni Gourde will be traded by the Seattle Kraken, but should he be, watch out for the Toronto Maple Leafs. In a recent article for The Athletic, LeBrun listed the Maple Leafs as his team to land Gourde in a deal ahead of the Deadline.

HL trade rumors are heating up! The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly interested in Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde. Could Nick Robertson be the key to a deal?

Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Describes Reason For Fraser Minten's Bump Back To Marlies In their 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, the Maple Leafs had David Kampf and Pontus Holmberg as their bottom-six centermen.