Mark Giordano resumes skating but will not return until after Christmas

The Leafs have more clarity on Mark Giordano’s status as Sheldon Keefe told reporters the defender will return after the Christmas break.

Giordano participated in the morning skate leading up to tonight’s game against the Sabres. It was his first time skating with the team since he broke his finger blocking a shot during a game against the Panthers nearly a month ago.

During the marking skate, he was slotted alongside William Lagesson on the fourth pair, confirming he was not going to appear in the forthcoming contest. Keefe said that he was encouraged by Giordano’s recovery progress and that he will be considered day-to-day once the holiday break is over.

Judging by this assessment of the 40-year-old blueliner, Giordano could be back for Toronto’s tilt against the Senators though it is more likely he will return for either the game against the Blue Jackets or the Hurricanes to close out the calendar year. Once he is cleared to return and taken off LTIR, it is safe to assume that Lagesson will be the one who gets sent down to clear up space. Conor Timmins is offensive depth on the backend while Simon Benoit plays a shutdown game and has been a pleasant surprise since getting into the lineup, so that leaves Lagesson as the odd man out despite him also being serviceable during this stretch of injuries.

Even as he is in the twilight of his career, Giordano remains a critical component of the Leafs’ defence and should once again be granted key usage as he had before his ailment. This will also give Brad Trelving a better chance to evaluate the blueline since he remains active in his pursuit of improving the backend leading up to the deadline.

Giordano appeared in 20 games before getting injured where he recorded five points (one goal and four assists) in that span.

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