Lightning centers Yanni Gourde, Dominic James to open season on IR

Sports admin September 16, 2026 0 Comments

Lightning centers Yanni Gourde, Dominic James to open season on IR

The Lightning will open the season without two of their centers – veteran Yanni Gourde and second-year player Dominic James – due to injuries.

Gourde had hip surgery during the offseason and is projected to be out until December. James broke his right hand during offseason training and is expected to miss the first two weeks of the season.

While both will participate in some activities when the Lightning hold their first training camp practice Thursday at TGH Ice Plex in Brandon, their injuries will create an opportunity at the position for players trying to crack a crowded forward group.

However, a shorter preseason – training camp is just 13 days and the number of exhibition games has been reduced from seven games to three – will give the Lightning less time to find replacements going into the season opener against the Rangers Oct. 1 against at Madison Square Garden.

“The reality is, the roster of NHL guys, they’re all going to play two (preseason games), so that’s half the reps right there,” Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said Wednesday. “So there isn’t a lot of opportunity to get guys seen.

“So, they’re going to have to make the most out of every rep in practice and every shift they do get in games in order to make a good impression, because they can’t afford to waste any reps or any shifts if they want to earn bigger and better opportunities for themselves.”

Gourde, 34, played in all 82 regular-season games last season, contributing nine goals and 28 points while anchoring a line that often matched up against the opponent’s top line.

James, 24, signed as a college free agent early in training camp last season after his draft rights with the Blackhawks had expired. He played just a handful of games before getting an NHL call-up but by the end of the season had carved a valuable spot playing up and down the lineup. He had seven goals and 15 points in 43 games.

Their absence presumably opens the door for top prospect Sam O’Reilly, a 20-year-old entering his first pro season. It also provides 22-year-old Conor Geekie a chance to earn minutes at his natural position after spending most of last season at AHL Syracuse.

Hedman eager to compete for minutes

After playing a career-low 33 games last season, Lightning captain Victor Hedman said he’s excited to compete for playing time and show he can return to the form that made him one of the league’s top defensemen.

Hedman suffered a hip injury last preseason, then had an elbow injury that required surgery. He returned in early February but took a leave of absence to address his mental health after suffering from performance anxiety.

Now, he’s part of a deep group of eight to 10 defensemen who can compete for ice time.

“It looks great, and there’s going to be competition for ice, that’s for sure,” Hedman said. “That’s a good thing. You’re going to need all of us, and then probably some more throughout the whole year. So, it’s good to have competition, and those guys played great, and you know we’re lucky to have them.”

Vasilevskiy has new goal: 84 games

Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is coming off his second Vezina Trophy-winning season as the league’s top goaltender, has half-joked in the past that he dreams of playing every game of the regular season.

With the schedule increasing two games to 84 this season, Vasilevskiy was asked whether the shorter offseason will affect his preparation. He said the only thing that changes is that he now wants to play 84 games instead of 82.

“I’m glad to play more. I’ll play all 84. I love to play more,” he said. “One day, hopefully.”

Quote of the day

“The game now is a lot faster but dumb. That’s all I can say. Low IQ. … Obviously, you know a lot of guys that have very high IQ and fun to watch them play, but there’s a lot of guys that … you know.”

– Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov on how the game has changed since he joined the league in 2013-14

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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 2:35 PM.