Seattle Kraken need to do the logical thing and give the C to Mark Giordano

Mark Giordano is the logical and only choice to be the first Captain in franchise history for the Seattle Kraken.

We now have some idea as to what the Seattle Kraken will look like in 2021-22 in the wake of the conclusion of the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft – although there are still plenty of moves to be made by the front office – and they could have their first Captain lined up in Mark Giordano.

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Among the 30 selections made by Kraken General Manager Ron Francis on Wednesday night, the standout name was Giordano with Seattle opting to stay away from big names such as Carey Price, Gabriel Landeskog and Vladimir Tarasenko.

While his star isn’t perhaps as bright as those players mentioned above, Giordano is still a big-time player in his own right and he brings a lot more to the party for Seattle than first meets the eye.

Yes, he was a Norris Trophy Winner as recently as the 2018-19 season after putting up 74 points (17 G, 57 A) in 78 games for the Calgary Flames and, yes, he’s still a legit top-four defenseman in the National Hockey League despite his advancing years.

Mark Giordano is the perfect and logical choice to be the Captain of the Seattle Kraken

However, it became clear throughout Wednesday evening that Francis is trying to cultivate and establish a clear identity in Seattle, and that’s why selecting Giordano from the Flames and potentially awarding him the “C” makes perfect sense.

For starters, the 37-year-old is a veteran of 949 career NHL regular season games, and he will be an ideal mentor for the young players the Kraken will have in the building and in the organization.

Along those lines, Giordano likes to lead by example and he’ll do just that in Seattle whether it will be through blocking shots with all parts of his body, playing hurt or smashing through bodies in order to protect a lead in the dying minutes of regulation.

The pure definition of a heart and soul guy, the veteran was loved in Calgary and he gave the Flames his blessing to leave him unprotected for the Expansion Draft so that they can prepare for their own future.

That tells you all you need to know about Giordano and his character.

But, wait, there’s more.

The left-shot will set the tone in Seattle from day one with his incredible work-rate, his wealth of experience and his indelible leadership, and he will be the man tasked with helping Francis and the rest of the Kraken front office to establish a culture both on and off the ice.

He will be looked upon to help the Kraken make an impact in the wider community as well as to bring a mishmash of a roster together so that they can hit the ground running in 2021-22, so with all that considered Giordano really is the perfect man for the job when it comes to wearing the C on his chest.

Everything about Giordano and the way he carries himself just screams leader, and he’s the perfect example for some of the younger players selected by Seattle given that he went from being undrafted to playing just shy of 1,000 games in the NHL and winning a Norris Trophy at 35-years-old.

Still able to contribute in a big way on the ice too having put up 26 points (9 G, 17 A) for the Flames in 2020-21 with a plus / minus rating of +5, Giordano will be a key cog in Seattle’s top-four unit and also on the penalty kill, but his biggest contribution could be the overall impact he has on the franchise.

He’s the type of high-character guy you dream about building an Expansion team around, and the Seattle Kraken would be wise to make Giordano their first Captain in franchise history and allow the veteran defenseman to do what he does best and that is to be one of the best leaders there is in the NHL.