Mark Giordano's impact on the Leafs is evident; he might have been the perfect deadline get
At this year's trade deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a splash by acquiring Seattle Kraken captain Mark Giordano in exchange for two second round picks and a third round pick. The Buds also landed 4th liner Colin Blackwell in the deal.
At 38-years-old, Giordano is still a top four defensemen who is strong in his own zone, isn't afraid to play a physical game and makes good outlet passes. Prior to this year, Giordano had only played 23 career playoff games, but in watching him play, you wouldn't know it. He plays the game with a lot of grit, and is not afraid to get to the dirty areas of the ice. He can also play on both the powerplay and penalty kill.
It feels like Giordano was exactly what the Leafs blueline needed. After the trade, the Leafs went 15-3-2 to finish out the regular season. In that time, Giordano had 12 points (2 goals & 10 assists) and led the team in blocked shots with 41. That carried over into game one of the playoffs, where Giordano had five blocked shots, tied with teammate Morgan Rielly and Lightning defensemen Ryan McDonagh for most in the game.
Giordano has also been able to help Leafs' rookie defensemen Timothy Liljegren find his game at the NHL level. Since being paired with Giordano, Liljegren has looked more confident with the puck and has shown his offensive prowess. The pair is reliable defensively and have been able to move the puck efficiently out of their own zone.
Now with Jake Muzzin back in the lineup and playing well, the Leafs left side on defense is very strong. At any given time, one of Jake Muzzin, Morgan Rielly or Mark Giordano is on the ice. This makes it near impossible for the opposition to find a defensive mismatch. This also means if one of the three is having an off night, the Leafs have other options. At the trade deadline, the Leafs' primary goal was to bolster the blueline. Giordano has done just that and more.
| POLL | ||
4 MAI | 452 ANSWERS Mark Giordano's impact on the Leafs is evident; he might have been the perfect deadline get Who is the Leafs second best defensemen? | ||
| Mark Giordano | 203 | 44.9 % |
| Jake Muzzin | 104 | 23 % |
| TJ Brodie | 86 | 19 % |
| Other | 59 | 13.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
