Maple Leafs Officially Announce Mark Giordano's New Role Within the Organization

Toronto has hired former Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano as a coaching advisor, assisting in the team's staff and coaching development.

Giordano, who announced his retirement from hockey in the offseason, spent the last three seasons of his 18-year NHL playing career in Toronto as a Leaf, having spent his career before that with the Calgary Flames under current Leafs GM Brad Treliving having been in the same role.

The hiring of Giordano to the Leafs staff was reported back in September, with Head Coach Craig Berube describing Giordano's role as being focused on the AHL Marlies and player development.

Also hired by the Leafs was the hiring of Mikael Kotkaniemi as an Amateur Scout for Europe. The father of Hurricanes forward Jesperi, the elder Kotkaniemi has experience in coaching junior hockey in Finland.

Eric Lacroix, a former Leafs draft pick, was named as a pro scout. Lacroix prior was an analyst covering the Colorado Avalanche. Toronto also hired former NHLer Steven Reinprecht in the pro scouting department, having experience in player development with the Avalanche.

Giordano's new role will have him focused on the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and building their young talent into NHL-ready players.

The move won't have Mark Giordano on the bench, but largely focused on the development of their youth players and working to foster the growth of their prospects.

Giordano, a late bloomer who went undrafted, will be tasked with building player growth, including for players who like Giordano as a player, may have fallen beneath the cracks.

Also worthwhile of note is the hiring of Kotkaniemi, who should be the first major bit of outreach for the Leafs in the Finnish region, an area the team has lacked resources in and not having drafted out of Finland since 2020.