Being in the spotlight isn’t something that is new for Philadelphia Flyers captain, Claude Giroux. As one of the NHL’s most elite talents, it’s expected to see his name in the headlines every now and then. However, in most cases, it’s for his play, not his mouth.
The NHL’s annual media day took place in New York this past week. ESPN‘s, Craig Custance conducted a poll asking a simple, yet, tired question: Who are the three players with whom you would start a franchise with. Here’s the spin, though. He asked the players themselves.
Using a points-system, the players ranked their fellow league mates in the following order:
3. Shea Weber
4. Tuukka Rask
6. Jamie Benn
7. Zdeno Chara
8. Zach Parise
9. Claude Giroux
10. Ryan Getzlaf
11. John Tavares
12. Erik Karlsson
13. Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price
14. Nathan MacKinnon
I have to believe in myself, no? – Claude Giroux
Most players were humble and tried to be as unbiased as possible with their picks. Giroux on the other hand, well, let’s just say he was pretty confident. Honest, perhaps? That’s right. You guessed it. Giroux picked…well, Giroux.
An outraged fan base within the Metropolitan Division found the comment to be quite comical. However, Giroux might be the one getting the last laugh on this one. His pick isn’t completely insane. In fact, it almost makes perfect sense.
The league has become so offensively-crazed over the past few years, that picking a player other than a forward isn’t really logical. The average number of goals scored per game is the highest it’s been since the 2010-11 season (5.34). There hasn’t been a decline in goaltending, there’s just been an uprising of scoring talent in the league. The defensive side of the game is in a bit of a drop. The 2013-14 campaign marked the first season since 2010-11 that the average number of shots per game by one team exceeded 30.
So, eliminate six players from that list. Just for the sake of inexperience, dash out Nate MacKinnon from the argument as well, as last year was his rookie season.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re probably sitting there saying to yourself, “I’d still take half of these guys before Giroux.” Hold on a second, though. There’s a lot that needs to be factored into this.
Let’s start back to the 2009-10 season (John Tavares’ rookie season). Since game No. 1 of that season, Giroux has played in 371 games. That’s the most out of the remaining eight forwards. To prove his durability even more, he has also missed the fewest games in that span (5).
Talent wise, yes, he’s not necessarily the most offensively-skilled player in the bunch, but that doesn’t mean he can’t contribute. Giroux’s 240 assists since the 2009-10 season are second to only Ryan Getzlaf’s 243. Giroux has also averaged .94 points per game. Only Sidney Crosby (1.43), Steven Stamkos (1.14), and Getzalf, who averages just over a point per game, have a better average than Giroux.
He’s got a leg up on some of these guys from an experience stand point as well. Giroux is one of four guys from this group of eight that has made a playoff appearance in at least five seasons while scoring 60 total points. Don’t try to use his “no show” from last season’s playoff run as an argument either. Crosby, the guy whom everybody except Giroux picked as the No. 1 player, scored one measly goal in last year’s playoffs, while playing in twice as many games as Giroux.
Financially, he might bring the most value to the table. Again, just for the sake of an argument, let’s assume that we are working with these players’ current contracts. Among these eight forwards, four of them, Crosby, Giroux, Jonathan Toews and Zach Parise, have at least eight years remaining on their current contracts. The upside for Giroux, He will be the youngest once his deal runs out (34-years-old), making the decision that much easier to bring him back should he continue to contribute to the Flyers’ liking. Another plus, only Parise’s $6.72 million per year is cheaper than Giroux’s $8.27 million per year.
In no way am I saying that Giroux is the guy from this bunch. If he fell to me, though, I wouldn’t be upset at all; and no, that’s not the homer in me talking.
Just for the record, I think we can all agree that out of the 15 players on that list, Giroux has the best hair, yes?