Mark Giordano

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired 2019 Norris Trophy winner Mark Giordano from the Seattle Kraken while keeping their first-round draft picks.

But obviously, the Leafs are hoping that Giordano will have better luck than Foligno, who dealt with a debilitating back injury for most of his tenure with Toronto. Last season, the Leafs acquired Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno in a three-way deal that saw them give up a first-round pick as part of the package. Once that time passed, they don’t have to technically be cap compliant again until 5 p.m. ET the following day. That was the case for a bunch of years when I played with him. Toronto is technically over the NHL salary cap after all of these moves, which is why they waited until after 5 p.m. ET to formalize the Giordano trade. In Giordano, the Leafs get an effective defenceman who can play in the top-four. “Most 38-year-old guys would have played more games by now,” Giordano said. Playing with an expansion franchise after spending his entire 15-year NHL career with the Calgary Flames, it became clear to him several weeks back that the Kraken weren’t going to contend for a playoff spot. There will be a lot of familiar faces, including defenceman TJ Brodie. The two remain good friends off the ice after 10 seasons together. “I want to make sure I mention how great the organization treated me here right until the end.” “I think Brods doesn’t get enough credit for how good he is,” Giordano said. And with newcomer Ilya Lyubushkin not looking out of place with Morgan Rielly on the top pair, Giordano reuniting with Brodie again on the second pair could be a natural place for the Leafs to start while they await clarity on Muzzin and when he can return.

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“Offensively, he’s always up on the play and ready to jump (into a rush, or a scoring chance) … defensively, he’s just as good, always in a good position, always in a good spot. The Leafs, though, think Giordano was a great get for GM Kyle Dubas. “I think he’s just a guy who’s played in all facets of the game,” forward Jason Spezza said. Obviously, he’s a guy who can contribute to the game in many different ways, at five-on-five, power play, penalty kill … He’ll get opportunities in all situations.”