Leafs land on multi-year extension with Mark Giordano
After coming over from Seattle at the trade deadline, Mark Giordano solidified the third pairing with Timothy Liljegren and provided a stable penalty killer, secondary powerplay option and a keen veteran presence. Liljegren played his best hockey of his career once being paired with Giordano.
The Toronto native made it clear during his end of season interview that he loved Toronto and being a Leaf, so it is no surprise the Leafs and Gio were quick to agree on an extension worth $800K/ season for the next 2 years. It's clear from his extension that Gio saw enough in the Leafs that he believes the team can take the next step and wants to be a part of it.
The extension for Gio, the extension Rielly signed in October and the fact that Liljegren and Sandin are RFAs and are likely to be bridged, means the Leafs have an abundance of defensemen. Given that Justin Holl found himself as the seventh defenseman most frequently and has 1 year left on his deal, could that mean that he is the odd man out? Could it mean that Jake Muzzin might be a candidate to move, since Rielly, Sandin and Gio are all left shot defensemen?
