NHL Trade Deadline Primer: Mark Giordano is still an impact player

The 2022 NHL Trade Deadline is Monday, March 21 at 3 p.m. ET. As we get closer to the deadline we will take a look at some individual players who could be on the move. We continue today with Seattle Kraken defenseman Mark Giordano.

The Seattle Kraken’s inaugural season has not been the success many hoped it would be following the Vegas Golden Knights debut five years ago. While nobody should have expected the Kraken to reach the Stanley Cup Final this season, there was at least an expectation that they could have maybe competed for a playoff spot in the Pacific Division, or at least been somewhat competitive.

As we get closer to the NHL trade deadline and the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Kraken have one of the league’s worst records and have really been undone by goaltending that has been a significant disappointment.

That does not mean there have not been some bright spots on the roster, and some players that could bring a nice return at the NHL trade deadline. Veteran defenseman Mark Giordano is at the top of that list.

After being made available to Seattle in the expansion draft, Giordano has proven that he can still be a quality top-pairing defenseman even at age 38 as his career starts to wind down. He may not be as impactful offensively as he was during his peak, but a lot of his defensive metrics still rate favorably among NHL defenders.

If the Montreal Canadiens think they can pry a first-round pick away from some team for Ben Chiarot (and they probably will!) then the Kraken should be able to get that and more away from somebody for Giordano. Maybe not a top-top prospect, but a first-round pick and a solid prospect seems like something that could be realistic. Complicating things is the fact Giordano