Brewin Flames Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 (edited) Toronto Maple Leafs To Acquire Mark Giordano MARCH 20, 2022 AT 2:05 PM CDT | BY GAVIN LEE After clearing out some additional cap space (or at least starting the process) by waiving Petr Mrazek, the Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired one of the top rental options on the market. Mark Giordano is heading home, acquired by the Maple Leafs from the Seattle Kraken according to several reports including Ryan Leslie of Sportsnet. It is not yet clear what the Kraken will be receiving in return, though Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that multiple draft picks will be involved. Giordano, 38, may not be the player who recorded 74 points and won the Norris Trophy in 2019, but he’s still a strong play-driving defenseman that can give the Maple Leafs a much-needed boost down the stretch. The fact that his partner during that Norris season was none other than T.J. Brodie only makes the deal that much better of a fit, even if he’s not the right-handed option that Toronto has been looking for for so long. With Jake Muzzin out with his second concussion of the year and facing an uncertain recovery timeline, adding in a player like Giordano was an obvious move for the Maple Leafs. Still, given the high price of rentals this season and the tight cap situation that Toronto always finds itself in, acquiring a name this big was not always a guarantee. Edited March 20, 2022 by Brewin Flames Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Even without the details, this is a good move for Toronto. Giordano is exactly the type of gruff, shut down defenseman this team needs. I've been critical (along with many others) of the Leaves® ability to play shut down defense when it matters most, but they actually have been playing that sort of game a bit more this season, and I can't think of a better guy at this point in time, at this stage for Toronto, who fits better with them, to help guide that defensive shut down style in the playoffs. Will it be enough? Always the question. Especially since goal still seems to be a question mark. But between the kind of defense that Tampa Bay, Boston, and now Florida and Toronto can roll out there, the Atlantic bracket is gonna be a bloodbath come the post season.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted March 20, 2022 Author Share Posted March 20, 2022 I'm just really interested in what the return is going to be...watch Seattle build for the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Brewin Flames said: I'm just really interested in what the return is going to be...watch Seattle build for the future. Hopefully, Seattle doesn't fumble the build. Ron Francis, a fine player, hasn't really impressed as an executive. He helped build some good teams in Carolina...but always fell short in some area, whether that was a lack of scoring or lack of overall depth. If he improved as a GM, then Seattle could be fine moving forward, but if not....ouch... As for the Atlantic bracket, wow....some nasty, hard hitting blue lines: Tampa Bay - Ryan McDonagh, Zach Bogosian, Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Cernak Florida - Radko Gudas, Ben Chiarot, Robert Hagg, MacKenzie Weegar Boston - Brandon Carlo, Charlie McAvoy, Derek Forbort, Connor Clifton Toronto- Mark Giordano, TJ Brodie (the ol Calgary tandem!), Jake Muzzin (currently on IR though!), Justin Holl Yikes...gonna be some bruised and battered teams coming out of that bracket! Edited March 20, 2022 by TropicalFruitGirl26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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