NHL Thread Because There Isn't An NHL Thread

Mark Giordano is headed home.

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired the veteran defenseman, as well as forward Colin Blackwell, from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for two second-round picks and a third-rounder, the team announced Sunday.

Seattle is retaining 50% of Giordano's $6.75-million cap hit. He'll be an unrestricted free agent at season's end.


The second-rounders are in 2022 and 2023, while the third-round pick is in 2024.

Giordano has recorded six goals and 17 assists in 55 games while averaging 21:29 of ice time per contest with the Kraken in 2021-22. The 38-year-old's offensive game has declined with age, but he's still posting elite defensive metrics this campaign.

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Evolving-Hockey.com
Giordano spent the first 15 years of his career with the Calgary Flames before the Kraken selected him in the expansion draft. He won the Norris Trophy in 2018-19 while playing alongside current Leafs blue-liner T.J. Brodie. If Toronto plans to reunite the pair, its blue line could look something like this at full health:

LDRD
Morgan RiellyIlya Lyubushkin
Mark GiordanoT.J. Brodie
Jake Muzzin*Justin Holl
Rasmus SandinTimothy Liljegren
*Currently injured

Blackwell, meanwhile, has tallied eight goals and nine assists in 39 games in a bottom-six role for the Kraken. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound winger has played in 119 career NHL games between the Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, and Seattle, registering 49 points. He's posted solid underlying numbers over the past three seasons.


The 28-year-old carries a cap hit of $725,000 and will be a UFA at the end of the campaign.

The Maple Leafs cleared cap space to facilitate this deal by waiving Petr Mrazek and trading Travis Dermott to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.
 
TRADE ALERT 🚨

The Nashville Predators have acquired defenseman Jeremy Lauzon from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick, the Predators announced Sunday.

Lauzon, 24, carries a cap hit of $850,000 and can be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this offseason. He's logged one goal and five assists in 53 games this season while averaging almost 18 minutes of ice time per contest.

The 6-foot-1 blue-liner led all Kraken skaters with 176 hits, and he saw the fourth-most shorthanded ice time in Seattle.


A second-round selection of the Boston Bruins in 2015, Lauzon can add to the Predators' depth on defense. He was the Kraken's choice from the Bruins in the expansion draft.

Lauzon has skated in 13 career playoff games, all with Boston.

The Kraken have been busy leading up to Monday's trade deadline, also shipping off Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Seattle now holds five of the first 64 picks in the upcoming NHL draft.
 
TRADE ALERT 🚨

The Winnipeg Jets are bringing back a familiar face.

The Seattle Kraken traded forward Mason Appleton to the Jets in exchange for a 2023 fourth-round pick, both teams announced Sunday.

Seattle selected Appleton from the Jets' roster during the expansion draft in July. He has six goals and 11 assists in 49 games this season.


A sixth-round pick by Winnipeg in 2015, Appleton registered 43 points in 138 career games as a Jet. He can become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this offseason after playing out the final term of a two-year, $1.8-million deal.

Appleton enjoyed a breakout year with Winnipeg last season, logging a career-high 12 goals and 13 assists.
 
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