When veteran defenseman Mark Giordano ended a terrific NHL playing career, he could’ve done anything in retirement. But he’s chosen to work with the Maple Leafs as a coaching advisor – and that is good news for Leafs fans.
It’s not often a Norris Trophy-winner wants to be part of your organization both as a player and a coach. But the Toronto Maple Leafs reportedly have that in former star blueliner Mark Giordano.
After his NHL playing career ended in 2024, Giordano gravitated toward the coaching side of the game and is now a coaching advisor who has been on the bench for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
At 42 years old, Giordano still has solid connections in the Leafs dressing room, having played with the Leafs’ star talent, including center Auston Matthews and winger William Nylander. He can now work with youngsters in the Leafs’ talent pipeline, especially concerning acclimating to Toronto.
Giordano has played in hockey hotbeds in Toronto and with the Calgary Flames, and he’s also played in the non-hockey-traditional market of Seattle as a member of the Kraken.
Other than winning a Stanley Cup, Giordano has done it all at the highest levels. He played in 1,148 regular-season games as an undrafted player, so Giordano beat the odds to play 17 NHL seasons. He’s got loads of experience, and he wants to share it with a new generation of Toronto players. How can that be anything but good for the Leafs?
Whoever gets the job as the Maple Leafs’ next coach deserves the final say on who their assistant coaches and/or associate coaches will be, but the next Leafs coach should welcome the chance to bring aboard a voice who has accomplished what Giordano has accomplished as a player.
Mark Giordano recorded 158 goals and 577 points in 1148 regular season NHL games in his career, winning a Norris Trophy, the Mark Messier Leadership Award, and the NHL Foundation Player Award. (Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)In his first two post-playing-career seasons, you didn’t hear much of anything from Giordano despite Toronto’s scorching spotlight. In his short time playing for the Maple Leafs, Giordano barely registered on the Richter scale when it came to interacting with the press. Giordano clearly doesn’t need any ego-stroking on or off the ice.
Ultimately, the Leafs need coaches who can pass along their accumulated experience to the Buds’ youngsters. What franchise would turn down a Norris Trophy-winner like Giordano?
He’s been a low-maintenance, high-reward individual. At a time when there’s no salary cap for coaching and management, the Maple Leafs should be doing everything in their power to employ former NHL stars who can contribute long beyond the end of their playing days.
The Marlies currently are in the AHL’s Calder Cup final, so Giordano deserves the chance to be part of that winning team. But the emergence of Giordano on the Marlies’ bench is an excellent sign if you’re a Leafs fan. Giordano could be on vacation for the rest of his post-playing days, but he clearly wants to be part of a team dynamic and craves the chance to compete for a championship as a coach.
The Maple Leafs’ job is not only to develop future NHL players but also to develop new management members. That’s who Giordano is right now. As a player, he proved he was more than worth an NHL team’s investment, and the Leafs are currently hoping their investment in Giordano as a coach pays off for the organization.
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