Sheldon Keefe releases critical update on Mark Giordano

Toronto Maple Leafs veteran defenseman Mark Giordano has unfortuantely been limited to only 20 games this season, as he suffered a broken finger on November 28 against the Florida Panthers. He’s not the only member of the walking wounded from Toronto’s blue line, as they have also dealt with injuries to Timothy Liljegren and Connor Timmins, while John Klingberg won’t play again this year. 

The good news for the Leafs is that they’ve gone 6-2-3 during his absence from the lineup. And the even better news is that according to head coach Sheldon Keefe, the team is expected to be able to get him back at some point soon after he was a full participant in practice today.

“He’s not going to play tonight but he’s real close,” coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We’ll get him into a full practice day tomorrow, a full practice with the group and make a decision from there but he’s definitely close.”

He’s not had a strong statistical output in the 20 games that he’s appeared in, registering only a single goal with four assists; it would be his lowest output over a full season since 2008-09 if this pace continues. 

Right now, Giordano is in the final year of his two-year contract that carries an AAV of $800K. Odds are that this is his final season in the National Hockey League, given the fact that he’s one of the elder statesmen in the NHL at 40 years of age. 

The Leafs take on their division rival Ottawa Senators tonight at Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto. Tonight’s line combinations are as follows: 

Forwards:

Knies – Matthews – Marner

Bertuzzi – Tavares – Nylander

Robertson – Domi – Jarnkrok

McMann – Kampf – Gregor

Defensemen: 

Rielly – Brodie

McCabe – Liljegren

Benoit – Lagesson

Martin Jones will get the start between the pipes.

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