Former Kraken Captain Not Ready To Hang Up The Skates Just Yet

Brought over in the expansion draft and chosen to be the first and still, the only captain of the Seattle Kraken, Mark Giordano has decided to not retire but might not have a spot with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Giordano is no youngster anymore and hasn't been for quite some time. At 40 years old, he's played in 1148 games, scoring 158 goals and 577 points. In his one season with the Kraken, he scored six goals and tallied 23 points in 55 games.

No reports have stated that the Maple Leafs are completely disinterested in bringing the veteran defenseman back to Toronto but Giordano might not align with the Maple Leafs plan going forward.

Giordano was born and raised in Toronto and was previously willing to sign a contract way below his market value and would likely do so again if the Maple Leafs wanted him to return.

As reported in a notebook published by Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star on Thursday, Giordano has made it clear he intends to continue his professional hockey career next season.

“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.”

Giordano has been the ultimate teammate and leader wherever he has played. He's the all-time leader in blocked shots, won a Norris trophy in the 2018-19 season and has been willing to play in any role.

Despite being undrafted, Giordano has had seasons where he finished amongst the league leaders in ice time and now as the oldest player in the NHL, he's willing to come in and out of the lineup and do whatever needs to be done to win hockey games.

If it's the end of the road for him and the Maple Leafs, any other team in the NHL would be lucky to sign him.