"I think just looking at it the past couple of weeks, I think the Leafs were on my radar as one of the teams I might get traded to and one of the better teams in the league," Giordano said. "So to be able to be part of this going forward and, yes, it being my hometown team is obviously a huge bonus. But to be able to come to a team that has a really good shot at obviously making some damage or creating some damage in the playoffs is something I'm really excited about."
The 38-year-old has scored 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) in 55 games this season. He was held out of the past two games for Seattle.
"In my situation and having good conversation with [Kraken general manager] Ronnie [Francis] and the coaches, it's probably the right thing to do," Giordano said about sitting out. "It's weird, I've never been through this before, so it's different, yeah, pretty much living day to day. It's a tough situation, but we all understand what's going on."
Giordano was selected by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft after spending 15 seasons with the Flames, including the final eight as captain. He was named the Kraken's first captain Oct. 11.
"I've never been through a trade before to be honest," Giordano said. "So obviously going through the Expansion Draft last year was something new for me. But you know what? I had a great experience in Seattle. I want to I make sure I mentioned how great the organization treated me here right to the end. And I think, you know, [Francis], I had a great relationship with him. And he knew obviously I'm from Toronto, and he knew this would be a great fit for me. So for him to put me in a spot like this means a lot."
Signed by Calgary as an undrafted free agent July 6, 2004, Giordano has scored 532 points (149 goals, 383 assists) in 1,004 regular-season games for the Flames and Kraken, and seven points (one goal, six assists) in 23 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"He has been a very good player in the league for a long time," Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said March 8 when the Kraken played at the Maple Leafs. "He's versatile and helps teams in all sorts of ways. He has great character."
Giordano was second on the Kraken in ice time per game (21:29; Adam Larsson, 21:52) and was among their leaders in ice time on the power play (2:47) and penalty kill (1:36) per game.
"He plays hard," Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said of Giordano on March 8. "We were just watching a clip on what [the Kraken] do well and what their strengths are. In the D-zone, he's always working hard. He's always taking the body. He's very physical, and he can still move well.
"He's always up in the rush, even on the penalty kill. … That he's able to get up and down the ice and play as hard as he does has always been impressive."
Blackwell is in the final season of a two-year contract he signed with the New York Rangers on Oct. 9, 2020, and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The 28-year-old has scored 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 39 games this season and 49 points (23 goals, 26 assists) in 119 regular-season games with the Kraken, Rangers and Nashville Predators since being selected by the San Jose Sharks in the seventh round (No. 194) of the 2011 NHL Draft.
"Talk about excitement, going to a place closer to home and an honest opportunity to be part of something special, play in the playoffs and compete for a Stanley Cup," said Blackwell, who is from Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Toronto (39-18-5) is third in the Atlantic Division, seven points behind the first-place Florida Panthers. Seattle (19-38-6) is last in the Pacific Division.
"You know, coming into the last couple of months, it was pretty obvious that our team wasn't going to get into playoffs here in Seattle, and I'm really excited to get back into the playoff race," Giordano said.
The Maple Leafs traded defenseman Travis Dermott to the Vancouver Canucks earlier Sunday for a third-round pick in the 2022 draft.
The Kraken also traded defenseman Jeremy Lauzon to the Nashville Predators for a second-round pick in the 2022 draft, and forward Mason Appleton to the Winnipeg Jets for a fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft.
