As the NHL’s 2024-25 season draws closer, veteran and now-former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano remains unsigned, prompting speculation about the next chapter for the Toronto native.
In late June, Giordano affirmed his commitment to continue his professional hockey career next season. His agent, Rich Winter, told Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star, “Mark has made the decision that he’s playing for a few more years. He feels very confident. He’s been talking to a lot of people who tell him: Don’t quit until they make you.”
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At 40 years old, Giordano’s days of signing long-term, lucrative contracts are behind him. However, his desire to continue playing for a “few more years” indicates he still has the passion and drive to contribute on the ice.
“He clearly wants to play,” said Winter.
What About a Return to the Maple Leafs?
The Leafs acquired Giordano and Colin Blackwell in March of 2022 in a trade with the Seattle Kraken, which included two second-round picks (2022, 2023) and a third-round selection in 2024. The Kraken retained 50 per cent of Giordano’s $6.75 million contract for the 2021-22 season before he would eventually re-sign with the Leafs on a two-year $1.6 million deal with an $800,000 annual cap hit.
That deal has since expired at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
As free agency began, the Leafs had five blueliners entering free agency as unrestricted free agents: Giordano, Joel Edmundson, Ilya Lybushkin, T.J. Brodie, and John Klingberg. Of these, Edmundson signed a four-year, $15.4 million deal with the Los Angeles Kings; Lyubushkin, a three-year, $9.75 million contract with the Dallas Stars; and Brodie, a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. Klingberg and Giordano remain unsigned.
Of the names listed, all of them signed outside of Toronto or remain unsigned – and that’s telling.
The Leafs opted to head in a different direction defensively making a couple of big splashes on July 1. The club signed 34-year-old Chris Tanev to a six-year, $27 million contract and 33-year-old Oliver Ekman Larsson to a four-year, $14 million contract. Though not confirmed yet, the Leafs also reportedly…