The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mark Giordano intends to stay in the NHL.
Giordano’s agent Rich Winter confirmed to Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star that his client still intends to compete in the NHL in 2024–2025. Giordano, however, will become a free agent upon the expiration of the $1.6 million, two-year contract he signed in 2022.
Winter told the Toronto Star, “Mark has decided that he’s playing for a few more years.” “He exudes a great sense of confidence. Many of the people he’s spoken to advise him to “keep going until they force you to.” It’s obvious that he wants to play.
Winter declined to comment on any potential contract discussions between Giordano and the Maple Leafs. The 40-year-old defenseman still intends to compete in the NHL the following year, though.
Giordano joined the NHL in 2006 and has participated in 1,148 games during the regular season. The 40-year-old skated in 46 games for the Maple Leafs during the previous campaign, tallying 3 goals and 6 assists for a total of 9 points. He did not, however, participate in a postseason game because the seasoned defenseman was a healthy scratch towards the end.
Fans of the Maple Leafs Do Not Want Giordano Back
Since Toronto acquired Giordano from the Seattle Kraken on March 20, 2022, during the trade deadline, the defenseman has been a member of the Maple Leafs.
Giordano was rewarded with a two-year contract extension for his strong play in the latter stages of the game. The Maple Leafs don’t want Toronto to re-sign him because he started to slow down and become a healthy scratch this past season.
Follow @TLNdc for more updates. Sherrygooner 🍉 If someone answers “yes,” they should give up watching hockey.
11:02 a.m. June 21, 2024
One Response
“No, I didn’t like the guy. He’s lost too much of his step,” a fan commented.
Not at all. A fan went on, “Give a prospect an opportunity over a 40-year-old.”
In agreement, other supporters believe that Giordano is no longer a defenseman of NHL caliber, particularly given his age.
AV AV @TO23av · Follow @TLNdc, hopefully away from the TML!
9:13 am · June 21, 2024 0 Response
“No, thank you. Wouldn’t be interested in seeing him come back,” a fan commented.
“The Leafs need to let go of these aging veterans; Gio was fantastic while he was here. When we had a lot of young players, it worked well, but not anymore. Younger players should be given depth spots so they can develop,” another fan commented.
Fans of the Maple Leafs generally agree that Giordano is too old to be reinstated and that Toronto should consider a younger player in his place.
It remains to be seen whether the veteran defenseman Giordano will find a job for the 2024–25 NHL season if the Maple Leafs choose not to re-sign him.
Giordano Handled Ailments During Previous Season
Giordano struggled with injuries during the 2023–24 NHL season, and even though he was healthy at the end, he was unable to establish a spot in the starting lineup.
Giordano missed 12 games due to a finger injury that put him on the long-term injured reserve list in December. Then, in February, he sustained a lower-body injury that limited his absence from the starting lineup to just one game.
After his father passed away a few days later, Giordano missed even more time. He then made his way back into the starting lineup on February 27, but on February 29 he sustained a concussion that sidelined him for a month.
Giordano did make a comeback for the final regular season games, but Toronto decided to keep him off the field for the entirety of the playoffs.
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