Flames’ gamble on Giordano is paying off

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The Calgary Flames losing captain Mark Giordano to the Seattle Kraken was one of the biggest surprises of the National Hockey League’s expansion draft in July.

It was a sensible pick for the Kraken – an aging but ultra-effective defender who could provide a significant veteran presence for the expansion team.

The decision to expose Giordano could not have been an easy one for Calgary. At the time of the draft, the team was very much in win-now mode, so punting arguably the most capable defender on your roster runs counter to that strategy.

Over the preceding five-year sample, Calgary was +68 goals with Giordano on the ice, and -47 goals when he wasn’t playing, comfortably one of the biggest differentials you could find across the league.

Calgary opting to expose Giordano meant protecting Chris Tanev alongside Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson. It’s fair to say there wasn’t an easy choice for Calgary here, but it’s also reasonable to acknowledge the team gambled that it would be able to manage without Giordano. Whether that was a bet on its own players, on Giordano’s aging curve, or a combination of factors is up for debate.

What’s less up for debate is the impact that decision has had. Calgary is exploding up the Western Conference pecking order, even surpassing an injured-but-capable Vegas Golden Knights team for first place in the Pacific Division. The primary reason for the team’s 28-13-6 record is a third-ranked even-strength unit that continues to dictate pace and play under head coach Darryl Sutter.

One of the key reasons why Calgary is so dominant at even strength is each five-man unit can play in both directions; that requires a minimum of two higher-calibre defensive pairings, and ideally all