SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 21: Mark Giordano is selected by the Seattle Kraken during the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft at Gas Works Park on July 21, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Kraken is the National Hockey League's newest franchise and will begin play in October 2021. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
Seattle Kraken Player Preview: D Mark Giordano
Mark Giordano provides the Seattle Kraken with a shutdown top-pair defender and a leader for their young organization.
Mark Giordano
Selected From: Calgary Flames
Position: D
Age: 37
Contract: 1 yr. left at $6.75 million AAV
2020-21 Season Stats: 56 GP – 9 G – 17 A – 26 P, +5
With their expansion draft selection from the Calgary Flames, the Seattle Kraken selected veteran Mark Giordano.
Giordano went undrafted and signed his entry-level contract with the Flames in July of 2004. He went on to spend the next 15 seasons in Calgary, becoming the team’s captain and one of its greatest players of all time. He suited up for 949 games with the Flames, accumulating 143 goals and 509 points to go along with a career plus-101 rating. Giordano also played in 23 playoff games with the franchise, scoring a goal and seven points with a minus-7 rating.
He is a three-time NHL All-Star and won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman in 2018-19. That same season, he led the NHL with a plus-39 rating and was voted to the NHL’s First All-Star Team. Giordano is only three years removed from that 74-point, plus-39 season, and could make a significant impact in Seattle.
Seattle Kraken Outlook
Giordano figures to be a key fixture of Seattle’s strong defensive core. He will log big minutes in all situations and will be using his experience to mentor some of the younger Kraken players. With five 40-point seasons under his belt, Giordano could also be a force offensively. He won’t be expected to lead the team in scoring, but his past success could lead him to get involved on offense. Especially if paired with one of Jamie Oleksiak or Adam Larsson, two strong defensive defensemen, Giordano could take risks on offense without compromising his team defensively.
The veteran blueliner will play just as crucial of a role for Seattle in the locker room. Seattle has five defensemen with NHL contracts that are age 25 or younger; these players will be leaning on the 37-year-old veteran to help them grow their game at the NHL level. He is a prime candidate to earn the captaincy if Seattle decides to select a captain, but will have significant impacts on the team even if he isn’t wearing a letter.
