Giordano and Blackwell acquired by the Leafs; here's the full trade, now that it's official
On Sunday afternoon, the news broke that Seattle Kraken captain Mark Giordano was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in a trade, but as everyone waited with baited breath to find out what the return was, the NHL Insiders went silent.
Apparently, the issue for the Leafs was that they could not complete the trade call until after 5pm, as there were complicated salary cap implications that would have the Leafs exceeding the cap if the deal was pushed through before 5pm ET.
Shortly after that 5pm ET threshold, the Leafs were able to complete the deal, sending two second round picks and a 3rd round pick in exchange for Mark Giordano and forward Colin Blackwell, with Seattle picking up 50% of Giordano's $6.75M cap hit.
A tidy piece of work here by Leafs GM Kyle Dubas, addressing two needs and significantly upgrading their blueline without having to part with a 1st round pick.
We have seen the lofty returns that defenders Hampus Lindholm and Ben Chiarot netted Anaheim and Montreal, so the fact that Dubas was able to bring Giordano, a Toronto native, home without parting with a 1st rounder is a stroke of genius.
In Blackwell, the Leafs are adding a feisty depth winger who works tirelessly, has some finishing ability, but most importantly, he plays a solid two-way game, which will go a long way in improving the Buds' bottom-six.
| POLL | ||
20 MARS | 360 ANSWERS Giordano and Blackwell acquired by the Leafs; here's the full trade, now that it's official Will the Leafs play Mark Giordano with TJ Brodie? | ||
| Yes, they were a great pair | 241 | 66.9 % |
| No, they'll play him with a young D-man | 45 | 12.5 % |
| Don't care - Just win, baby | 74 | 20.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
