Mark Giordano is heading home after the Seattle Kraken sent their captain to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who made their big move Sunday on the eve of the NHL trade deadline to shore up their defense.

Ryan Donato makes his case to be part of Seattle Kraken core

Giordano joins his hometown team looking to help the franchise win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1967. The 38-year-defenseman brings additional leadership to a core that has not won a playoff series in several attempts together.

Toronto sent second-round picks in 2022 and 2023 and a third-rounder in 2024 to Seattle for Giordano and forward Colin Blackwell. The expansion Kraken retained half of Giordano’s salary to make the cap math work for the Leafs.

The Kraken were far from done for the day. Having already sent forward Calle Jarnkrok to Calgary on Wednesday, they also dealt defenseman Jeremy Lauzon to the Nashville Predators for a second-round pick and sent forward Mason Appleton back to the Winnipeg Jets, the team he came from in last summer’s expansion draft, for a fourth-rounder on Sunday.

The Kraken released statements from general manager Ron Francis about each of the players traded Sunday.

• Francis on Giordano: “As the organization’s first captain, he made an immediate and lasting impact both on and off the ice. He is a consummate professional, and we appreciate his effort and leadership to help establish a culture here.”

• Blackwell: “We appreciate the energy, passion and hard work that Colin brought to the rink every day and we wish him the best in Toronto,” said Francis.

• Lauzon: “Jeremy brought a physical edge to our blueline and we are thankful for his contributions to our team. We wish him well in Nashville.”

• Appleton: “Mason brought a hard-working effort to the rink and we want to thank him for his time with the Kraken.”

Toronto got a respected veteran in Giordano without giving up a first-round pick like division rivals Boston, Florida and Tampa Bay in moves made in recent days.

While he recently played his 1,000th NHL game, Giordano has dressed in only 23 playoff games in 16 NHL seasons. His 24th could be part of one of the most scrutinized series in recent history with the pressure again on the Maple Leafs to advance.

The NHL trade deadline is set for noon Monday.

SeattleSports.com staff contributed to this report.

Seattle Kraken score 4 in 3rd, rally past Red Wings 4-2