Leafs Acquire Mark Giordano From Kraken, Send Travis Dermott to Canucks
Kyle Dubas knows that anything less than a deep playoff run could lead to him sifting through the wanted ads. With that in mind, the Toronto Maple Leafs GM made a significant acquisition ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline Monday.
The Leafs have acquired defenseman Mark Giordano and center Colin Blackwell from the Seattle Kraken, sending two second-round draft picks the other way.
Giordano and Blackwell go to TOR. 2 second-rounders are highest picks in return to SEA
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 20, 2022
Toronto doesn’t have the salary-cap flexibility to absorb the former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman’s salary without moving on from a current roster player.
In a separate deal, the Leafs moved Travis Dermott to the Vancouver Canucks, in exchange for the Winnipeg Jets’ third-round selection in the upcoming draft.
TRADE: We?ve acquired Winnipeg's third-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft from Vancouver in exchange for defenceman Travis Dermott. #LeafsForever
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 20, 2022
The Leafs have struggled to contain opponents recently, allowing four or more goals in seven of their past nine games. An upgrade on defense helps them tidy up their defensive zone structure but doesn’t address the more pressing need of a competent goaltender.
NHL teams have until Monday at 3 pm ET to finalize trades. Don’t be shocked if the Leafs pull the trigger on another deal before the deadline.
For now, they sit with the sixth-best odds to win the Stanley Cup at +1400, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
