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The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they acquired defenceman Mark Giordano and forward Colin Blackwell from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a second-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, a second-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, and a third-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft. As part of the trade, Seattle will retain 50 percent of Giordano’s contract.
Giordano, 38, has recorded 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) in 55 games and ranks second in TOI/GP (21:29) with the Kraken this season while serving as the franchise’s first captain. In 1,004 career regular-season games with Seattle and Calgary, the Toronto native has registered 532 points (149 goals, 383 assists) while collecting seven points (one goal, six assists) in 23 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Blackwell, 28, has registered 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 39 games with the Kraken this season. The Lawrence, MA native has skated in 119 regular-season games over four NHL seasons with Seattle, the New York Rangers, and the Nashville Predators, collecting 49 points (23 goals, 26 assists).
Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has made a few surprising moves to free up cap space prior to the NHL Trade Deadline and to shore up some holes.
On the waiver wire was surprisingly goalie Petr Mrazek, who was benched in favor of Erik Kallgren the last three games. If Mrazek clears on Monday, it would open up $1.125 million in cap space. Another move was the signing of veteran Harri Sateri to a one-year, one-way league-minimum deal for the remainder of the season. The 32-year-old put up excellent numbers in the KHL for Novosibirsk Sibir (2.02 GAA, .926 save percentage in 38 starts) this season and won a gold medal in Beijing with Team Finland. Sateri was also placed on waivers and if he clears, he likely slots in as a replacement for the injured Joseph Woll.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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