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Mike Giordano connected to Edmonton Oilers per his agent Ritch Winter

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River Hawk
September 7, 2024  (8:29)
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Mike Giordano during his 2024 Blue Room interview
Photo credit: Toronto Maple Leafs on YouTube

Despite his age, Mike Giordano has made it clear he still wants to play in the NHL, and his agent Ritch Winter recently connected him to the Edmonton Oilers.

Mike Giordano was the oldest player active in the NHL during the 2023-24 season, having started his second full year and half-season with the Toronto Maple Leafs at 40 years old. However, his agent Ritch Winter shared with Eric Francis and listeners on a recent edition of Flames Talk that the former Calgary Flames defenseman feels great and plans on making an appearance in the league another season.

"Yeah, I think we will, you know, and that's a- you mentioned the '4-0,' or the '4-1,' and that's a bias. I mean, people are wondering: can he still play? They like him. He's only, you know, a few years removed from a Norris Trophy. Gio's in great shape, he's gone back to train with a group of trainers that he used when he won the Norris Trophy. He's feeling really good. I mean, he was the third-best defenseman on the Leafs in plus-minus last year only playing half a season. If he continued that pace for the whole season, he would have got second. He was third in even-strength points per minute played by defensemen on Toronto, so he's fine, he's in good shape, he's feeling good."

However, Mark Giordano is not just looking for another paycheck, but instead on a big win. Ritch Winter shared that the veteran defenseman is looking for a chance to appear in the Stanley Cup Finals, and among the teams they have contacted are the Edmonton Oilers, who have a clear shot after a near reverse sweep against the Florida Panthers in 2024.

"We're talking to a lot of teams, and he's looking to win, you know. Even Gio doesn't think he has ten years left, so we want to try and win.

We've talked to Edmonton and Toronto, and Toronto's still not sure what's happening with Hakanpaa, and Gio's very patient.

I think Gio's holding firm until he finds an opportunity that gives him a high probability of being in that Stanley Cup Final, and obviously, Edmonton's a good place."

Mike Giordano has remained relatively competent as a defenseman, holding a plus-minus of 10 during his last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now, with the player turning 41 in October, the Edmonton Oilers could probably get him for a good deal amidst shrinking cap space. Additionally, he could fill the void in the defensive depth left by Cody Ceci and Philip Broberg's departures. Superfan contributor Sunil Agnihotri adds that he could be the right figure to assist the Oilers with penalty kill and mentor younger players in their prospect pool.

"Based on all of this, I would consider bringing in Giordano to the Oilers training camp on a PTO. I'm not overly confident in the Oilers defensive group, and there's a lot of uncertainty on how the new defencemen will fit into the roster, what roles they'll have and what the pairings could be like.

Giordano has been fairly consistent the last few years, playing a depth role for his last 200 games and helping keep the puck going in the right direction at even-strength. He's also someone that can help with the penalty kill, and potentially mentor some of the younger players who need to emerge from the Oilers prospect pool."

With the 2024-25 NHL season only weeks away, it should not be long before Ritch Winter makes another media appearance to announce Mike Giordano's status in the upcoming season. Should they make the right deal, he may become the oldest face of the Edmonton Oilers.

Source: Oilers DailyEdmonton Oilers interested in signing oldest player in the NHL

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7 SEPTEMBRE   |   214 ANSWERS
Mike Giordano connected to Edmonton Oilers per his agent Ritch Winter

Should the Edmonton Oilers sign Mike Giordano for the 2024-25 season?

Yes6630.8 %
No, another team should4219.6 %
No, time to retire10649.5 %
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