5 Toronto Maple Leafs That Won’t Be Back Next Season

Mark Giordano

For the past three seasons, Mark Giordano had been a warrior for the Maple Leafs since coming over from the Seattle Kraken at the trade deadline in 2022.

Not only has he been a leader on the back end, his hard-nosed play and never-quit determination helped inspired the team to play a tougher game against their opponents. Moreover, he significantly aided in the development of Timothy Liljegren’s game such that he has now become a mainstay in the Leafs defensive corps.

However, after a strong first couple of seasons with Toronto, Father Time may have finally caught up to Giordano this year. He had regressed considerably in terms of his offensive output, putting up just three goals and six assists in 46 games, easily making it his lowest output for his career.

On top of that, he appeared to be a lot slower in his defensive positioning and checking, making him a less effective play for the Leafs overall .

In addition, Giordano suffered an ill-timed concussion when he crashed hard into the boards in a game against the Arizona Coyotes in early March. As a result, he missed most of the remaining parts of the season and didn’t factor in a role during the Leafs playoff run against Boston as he never saw a game of action.

With Giordano turning 41 later this year and to perhaps not risk any long-term effects of his health following his concussion, it is highly likely that this may be the end of his illustrious NHL career.

It had certainly been a great one for Giordano, but it may be slightly marred by the fact that he never had the chance to capture the Stanley Cup.