Mark Giordano ‘has made the decision to keep playing a few more years’

A veteran defenseman is still looking to stay in the game.

In a piece by the Toronto Star’s Kevin McGran, Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner Mark Giordano has aspirations of continuing to play in the NHL, whether that be in Toronto or elsewhere.

Giordano’s agent, Rich Winter, has made it clear that his client wants to make an impact in the game.

“Mark has made the decision that he’s playing for a few more years,” said his agent, Rich Winter. “He feels very confident. He’s been talking to a lot of people who tell him: Don’t quit until they make you.”

The 40-year-old was the oldest player in the NHL during the 2023-24 season, but missed time both due to injury and personal reasons. In 46 games, Giordano scored just three goals and six assists, the lowest total of his entire career. The Toronto native did not even appear in the Maple Leafs’ seven-game loss in round one to the Boston Bruins, though he did skate in warmups prior to Game 6.

Giordano came to the Leafs after being acquired via trade from the Seattle Kraken during the 2021-22 season, and signed a two-year, $800,000 contract, the cheapest deal of his NHL career. While he brought a respectable veteran presence to the blue line over the first season and a half in Toronto, his game really tapered off over the course of this past season, leaving many to question if the Leafs are interested in bringing him back.

In his 17 NHL seasons, the majority with the Calgary Flames, Giordano has played 1,148 games, scoring 158 goals and 419 assists, including 11 points in 41 playoff games. While with the Flames in 2019, he won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman.

Also, in McGran’s piece, he reports that a source to the Star that Toronto has “moved on” from the possibility that goaltender Ilya Samsonov will return to the team, and that contract talks with forward Tyler Bertuzzi are ongoing.