Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano is day-to-day with a lower-body ailment.
The oldest active player in the NHL is still having a hard season.
Sheldon Keefe, head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced on Saturday that defenseman Mark Giordano is day-to-day due to a lower-body injury.
Giordano’s absence could last more than just one day, according to Keefe.
The Leafs’ bench coach also stated after the team’s morning practice that Conor Timmins is out with an illness.
Giordano suffered the injury in Toronto’s 5-4 victory over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night. He was obviously absent from the ice on Saturday, as well as the team’s outdoor practice at Nathan Phillips Square on Friday.
According to TSN’s Claire Hanna, William Lagesson was skating alongside Giordano’s defensive partner, Timothy Liljegren, on the team’s third pairing in preparation for their Saturday night game against the Ottawa Senators.
Giordano has not had the most profitable 2023-24 season. The 40-year-old has only one goal and five assists in 34 games. The former Norris Trophy winner missed 12 games in late November and early December after blocking a shot against the Florida Panthers on Nov. 28th.
Giordano’s minutes had been decreasing since recovering from that injury. While he played near to 20 minutes on a continuous basis through November, the Toronto native has only played over 19 minutes twice since the beginning of January, averaging around 15 minutes in the previous seven games.
Giordano is in the final year of a two-year contract for $800,000, signed with the Leafs in May 2022. Giordano has seven goals and 35 assists in 133 games with his hometown team, giving him a plus/minus of +44. He also contributed four assists across the team’s last two playoff runs.
In 1,136 NHL games, Giordano has 156 goals and 418 assists, with 11 points in 41 postseason games.
The Maple Leafs (26-15-8) sit third in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of the fourth-place Tampa Bay Lightning and 13 points behind the Boston Bruins in first.
