Veteran defenseman Mark Giordano is on the move, as the Kraken captain was traded to the Maple Leafs on Sunday. was the first to report the deal, with also adding that Colin Blackwell is going to the Maple Leafs as a part of the deal as well and that the Kraken are retaining 50% of Giordano's $6.75 million cap hit. The Kraken received two second-round picks and a third rounder in the trade. TRADE: Weve acquired defenceman Mark Giordano & forward Colin Blackwell from Seattle in exchange for three draft selections. Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) The 38-year-old Giordano is in the final year of a six-year, $40.5 million contract signed when he was with the Flames. The Kraken selected him in the expansion draft last summer, but Nate Hinton Jersey after an underwhelming first season, the two sides agreed that a deadline trade would benefit both parties. Giordano is certainly not the same player who won the Norris Trophy in 2019 with 74 points in 78 games, but he's still a reliable puck mover on the back end. On a bad Kraken team, Giordano managed 23 points in 55 games this season. The Maple Leafs get the veteran shutdown defenseman they've been in need of with Jake Muzzin's return this season in question. Giordano can still play some great defense and depending on who he is paired with, can play a stay-at-home role on a Leafs team that has been struggling defensively as of late. For the Kraken, they get their draft capital they need to help the future of the franchise. MORE: Mark Giordano trade details Maple Leafs get: Mark Giordano, Colin Blackwell Kraken get: 2022second-round pick, 2023 second-round pick, 2024 third-round pick The Leafs needed to addre s the i sues on defense. It's been pretty bad recently. The team's goals-against average has slipped over the last month or so, dropping to a 3.03, which ranks 17th in the league. Toronto has surrendered at least four goals in seven of the nine games it has played this month. Giordano immediately improves the blue line. His offense isn't what it once was, but he's still very reliable in his own zone. He can eat up minutes, averaging 21:29 minutes of time on ice this season, and adding 98 blocked shots and 46 hits. He gives the Maple Leafs a little extra nasty on defense. Mark Giordano, trade to TOR, is a top four defensive defenceman who can still make a solid first pa s and prevent scoring chances against. JFresh (@JFreshHockey) A reunion with T.J. Brodie makes the most sense when looking at the potential Giordano pairings. The two played together for a number of years when they both were in Calgary, including Giordano's Norris-winning season. A pairing of Giordano and Brodie immediately becomes Toronto's top shut-down pairing and coach Sheldon Keefe can match the duo with any team's best offensive line. Blackwell also gives the Maple Leafs a bit of sandpaper in their bottom-six forward groups. He was playing top-six minutes with Seattle, but should be a nice addition to either the third or fourth line of Toronto. The 28-year-old had 17 points in 29 games with the Kraken. On the other side of the deal, general manager Ron Francis gets his draft picks. It was a no-brainer to trade Giordano and Blackwell given their expiring contracts and the Kraken need to stock up on as many draft picks as po sible in the future. Getting a first-rounder would have been nice, and given what other players have been traded for first-round picks, it seems like a mi sed opportunity, but two second-rounders and a third is a decent return for two pending free agents. Dwight Powell Jersey