Huge development in Mark Giordano’s NHL career!

Defenseman Mark Giordano remained unsigned for the entire 2024-25 season and many fans spent the past campaign wondering what’s coming next for the 41-year-old blue liner. Good news has finally been reported as he has taken on a brand new coaching role, working with potential #1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer.

The 1,148-game veteran has yet to officially retire from the NHL, but this is a good way to keep close to the league and share his wisdom to younger players. And with Schaefer projected as this summer’s first overall pick, Giordano is making sure his work as a coach does not go unnoticed.

Schaefer was limited to 17 games in his draft year due to some bad injury luck, including missing opening nine games of the season because of mononucleosis and the remainder of the season after sustaining a broken clavicle while playing for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. The 17-year-old still managed seven goals and 15 assists 22 points in the small sample size.

He revealed to NHL.com senior writer Mike Morreale that Giordano is going to be working with him defensively this summer:

“I’m working out with (trainer) Bryan Marshall, and my defense coach is (former NHL defenseman) Mark Giordano, so I’m super excited to work with him. I’m going to be skating with him a lot.”

This is great news for Schaefer as well, after he unfortunately had to deal with significant tragedy in his young life following both his billet mother and biological mother in the span of three months. Schaefer however believes he can set a positive example for others, which shows resilience and maturity. A great sign that Schaefer will be able to handle those types of pressures with grace and humility, then he can tackle anything the NHL has to offer.

And he can now also count on Giordano, who started his career with the Calgary Flames in 2005 and captained the team for eight seasons from 2013-2021. He won the Norris Trophy in 2018-19 and the Mark Messier Leadership Award the following season. He went on to captain the Seattle Kraken and was a great leader in Toronto as well.

In his last season in the NHL in 2023-24, Giordano struggled with injuries and played just 46 regular season games and recorded three goals and six assists. He missed the entire postseason as the Maple Leafs were eliminated in seven games in the first round by the Boston Bruins. In 1,146 games in the NHL spent with the Flames, Kraken and Maple Leafs, he’s tallied 158 goals and 419 assists.

And now he is passing on his knowledge to a talented young man, who could be the first overall pick at the end of the month.