Toronto Maple Leafs general manager (GM) Kyle Dubas has been working the phones trying to find a trade partner that will give him the perfect defenseman to add to his team. A blueliner who ideally will be on the roster for more than just the rest of this regular season and Stanley Cup playoff run. Someone who brings experience, but is a team guy, who can build instant chemistry and mesh well in the dressing room. A defenseman who isn’t a liability in their own end, doesn’t mind using their body to help block shots and keeps opponents out of the front of the net. If they have a little bit of nasty, Dubas and company would love to see it. The Maple Leafs have been talking trade with several teams, let’s examine a few defensemen being heavily linked to Toronto.

Mark Giordano

The Seattle Kraken captain has been connected to the Maple Leafs all season long when it comes to the trade market and there are a few reasons why. For one, he’s a former Norris Trophy winner who, at 38 years old, has played over 1000 games in the league and knows what it takes to win. Two, have you seen the Leafs’ top-six defense group of late? Adding Giordano would be a huge upgrade.

Three, ‘Gio’ can help out on the power play and would give head coach Sheldon Keefe another option outside

Morgan Rielly and Rasmus Sandin. The veteran blueliner leads all Kraken players, averaging 2:46 of ice-time on the man advantage, which would rank him third on the Maple Leafs if he played those minutes in blue and white. He’s recorded 23 points in 55 games so far this season, including eight power-play points.

There’s lots more to like when it comes to the Maple Leafs and Kraken discussing a deal as Giordano is also close with Toronto defenseman T.J Brodie from the decade together as teammates with the Calgary Flames. We’ve seen Keefe have no issues breaking up Brodie and Rielly of late, a pair that’s played a ton together. Perhaps Brodie and ‘Gio’ is a pairing Leafs Nation can grow to love.

Giordano is a Toronto native, who could be interested in re-signing with the Maple Leafs at season’s end. He holds no-trade protection where he provides a list of 19 teams he approves, it’s quite likely Toronto is on the good list. As for the Maple Leafs, management knows they have issues on their blue line, but they’re trying to avoid dealing any picks or prospects for rentals, a strategy that worked horribly last season. So, kudos to Dubas and company for trying something different this season.

The Kraken’s captain is currently making $6.75 million against the cap and there’s no doubt any deal between Seattle and Toronto would see some salary retained. There’s even a chance a third team gets involved so the cap hit can be cut in half once more for the Maple Leafs. As much as money isn’t a factor in Toronto, it’s a huge factor as the hard cap makes business tough sometimes.