According to sources, the Toronto Maple Leafs have traded Mark Giordano to them.
The first captain of the Kraken was Giordano. The unrestricted free agent met with the general manager of Seattle to discuss his future. Sources say that Giordano wants to be traded to a contender so he can win the Stanley Cup.
The Maple Leafs have a Top 5 offense in terms of goals per game, but were looking to shore up the defense to get past the first round of the playoffs.
The Maple Leafs sent forward Nick Ritchie and a draft choice to Arizona last month in exchange for Lyubushkin, who has been on Toronto's third pair most of the month.
The Vegas Golden Knights did well in their first season, and the Kraken had high hopes that they could do the same. Seattle did not gel like Vegas. The Kraken are in last place in the Pacific Division, and last week they took Giordano out of the lineup to protect him from injury.
Since winning the Norris Trophy with the Flames, the numbers have fallen off. He has 23 points in 55 games.
The final year of a six-year contract carries a $6.75 million cap hit. Sources say that Giordano is thinking about his future.
The Maple Leafs have added a captain of another team ahead of the trade deadline in each of the last two years. Toronto acquired a first round pick from Nick Foligno.
Toronto is in a good position in the playoffs, but its seeding is in question. The Boston Bruins are in the No. 1 wild-card slot and are close to catching the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The first round of the playoffs would be between the Maple Leafs and the Lightning.
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