Toronto Maple Leafs

Giordano’s $800K Deal Not the Original Deal He Agreed To With Maple Leafs

Mark Giordano agreed to a two-year $800K extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but that wasn’t the original deal both sides agreed to.

by
NHL Trade Talk
May 23, 2022

According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the $800K deal original deal between defenseman Mark Giordano and the Toronto Maple Leafs was not the original deal the two sides had settled on. Apparently, GM Kyle Dubas and Giordano had an understanding that the team would sign him for “around” $1 million per season, but it was Giordano who reached out to the team and offered to take less.

Maple Leafs sign Mark Giordano to 2-year contract extension

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— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) May 22, 2022

Friedman explains that the deal was done in principle on Saturday and that Giordano reached out to the organization and said he would take less money if it meant the team could get other business accomplished. Not only did he want to stay with the Leafs, but he wanted to do his part to ensure that the team could use any money saved on his contract in other places. While the $200K difference isn’t here, for a cap-savvy team like Toronto, it could mean a lot at the end of the day.

For Giordano, he believes this team has a chance to win with the group it has. He’s said so publicly and it seems logical to think he’d like to keep the team together if he’s going to be a part of it moving forward. As he gets older and closer to the end of his NHL career, there aren’t a whole lot of opportunities left to win it all.

Does This Actually Help the Team?

Giordano’s deal might not get others to sign team-friendly contracts like his, but it could influence Jack Campbell ever-so-slightly. It could also allow the Maple Leafs to make other moves and clear salary out knowing they have a strong option as a second-pairing defenseman holding down big minutes for under $1 million per season. That gives Dubas and company some flexibility to play with the roster and potentially move out players with bigger salaries who would be farther down the totem pole that Giordano.

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