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On Friday, player agent Ritch Winter joined Pat Steinberg and Eric Francis on Sportsnet 960 The Fan. Among the topics they discussed was the hockey future of one of Winter’s clients, former Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano.
It doesn’t sound like Giordano will be returning to the Flames in the near future. That might not be a bad thing.

The state of things

Here’s what Winter had to say regarding Giordano and the Flames when asked by Francis:
My pitch to them was “Look, I really think the Calgary Flames started to fall apart when Brad Treliving refused to protect his captain.” And I think that was significant, because you talk to the players, that room changed. Nobody went out for pre-game skate because Gio wasn’t going out. No one seemed to have the same focus as they did when Gio was around. I thought, I’m a romantic to some degree, and I thought maybe Gio coming back, mentoring the kids, getting to know the kids very well from inside the room, and then maybe making the transition into management having a very full and robust understanding of these players’ strengths and weaknesses, that could be an ideal opportunity for them to reunite the three captains – Conny, Jarome and Gio – in a management team. That’s exciting, and I think it would say something about Calgary. That would be a team you would go to and expect by the trade deadline to be moved. It wasn’t something that we really pushed hard and it didn’t seem that Craig Conroy had much interest in it.
It’s worth noting that the Flames were allowed to protect three defencemen prior to the Seattle expansion draft, and they opted to use those protection spots on Rasmus Andersson, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin rather than Giordano. Giordano ended up being claimed by Seattle and served as their first captain before being traded to Toronto.
The Flames went two seasons without replacing Giordano as captain before naming Mikael Backlund their new captain prior to the 2023-24 campaign.

Is there an on-ice fit?

Last season Giordano was limited to 46 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, primarily due to injury, and he posted nine points when he played. He didn’t dress for the playoffs. Despite his limited role, he had positive Goals Above Replacement ratings (via Evolving-Hockey) on both the offensive and defensive sides on the ice.
His 3.9 GAR is the lowest he’s had since 2008-09, the first year data is available, but for a player who turned 40 before the season began, being in the black on both sides of the ice is pretty impressive. That said, where would Giordano hypothetically fit in with the Flames if he caught on?
We hate to rag on anybody for staying in the league for as long as he has, but at his age, you probably can’t lean on Giordano as much as you can lean on MacKenzie Weegar or Rasmus Andersson. So Giordano would likely be part of that secondary mix, along with Jake Bean, Daniil Miromanov, Kevin Bahl, Brayden Pachal, Ilya Solovyov and (presuming his PTO becomes official) Tyson Barrie. That places seven players in what I’m calling the “Where does this guy fit into our plans?” group.
Winter said it himself during his interview: the Flames aren’t likely to make the playoffs this season. Since they’re in a rebuild (or whatever you want to call it), the moves they make this season need to be in service of making the team be a contender in a few years. They need to be playing the long game. Giordano is turning 41 in a month. The ages of the other six players in the “Where does this guy fit into our plans” group are between 24 and 33.
If they’re playing the long game, they need to be focusing on giving younger players ice time, even if Giordano could help them on the ice.

Is there an off-ice fit?

I have no doubt in my mind that Giordano can be an effective mentor for young players. During the previous era of Flames hockey, several young players commended Giordano for his leadership and mentorship. However, the main thing we would be concerned about is continuity.
I don’t doubt Winter’s claim that the Flames were a bit out of sorts after Giordano left and there was no captain. When you lose your undisputed leader, it can leave a vacuum unless it’s made clear who’s taking charge. The Flames spent two seasons in that state, and it was probably kind of awkward in the locker room. But after handing the captaincy to Backlund, there doesn’t seem to be any question anymore: he’s their leader. Would bringing Giordano, one of the franchise’s longest-tenured leaders, muddy the waters in terms of who the team’s leader is, even unintentionally?
We’re not saying that Giordano’s a bad player or that he would rush into the room and proclaim himself the new captain. But players like Giordano – longtime former captains and Norris winners – have a gravitas to them that often draws attention on and off the ice, and given where the Flames are in their growth process, having Backlund lead the way and allowing for the growth of blossoming leaders like Weegar and Andersson may have a larger long-term impact than bringing Giordano back for two-thirds of a season.
The Flames have to be all about the long game right now. And from the perspective of playing the long game, there doesn’t seem to be a fit for Giordano to return.