In the last few days, Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux has been the center of rumors that he could be traded to the Ottawa Senators. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun initially brought up Giroux as a possible trade option for the Senators to shore up their depth at center, though he deemed it as very unlikely, and it’s even more unlikely when you consider Giroux hasn’t played as a full-time center in the NHL since 2016-17.
Multiple Senators message boards and Senators fans on Twitter have discussed the idea of acquiring Giroux as well, and the rumors have caught enough fire to the point where The Athletic’s Ian Mendes and Charlie O’Connor talked about it in an article that was released on Tuesday. The Steve Dangle Podcast, one of the most popular hockey-oriented podcasts in North America, also discussed on their show the possibility of it and how Giroux would fit in Canada’s capital city.
Now let’s take a moment to reflect on a few things. Claude Giroux is the longest-tenured captain in Flyers history. He still has a year left on his contract that contains a full no-movement clause and carries an $8,275,000 cap hit. He has repeatedly expressed his desire to win a Stanley Cup and be a part of a winning team, and the Senators don’t exactly fit the mold of a team that’s primed for a run at a championship anytime soon.
The Ottawa Senators are in the middle of a full-fledged rebuild at the moment. They do have young, budding stars on their roster such as Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot, Tim Stützle, and Josh Norris among others, but general manger Pierre Dorion has major work to do before his club is in Cup-contending shape.
Giroux does live in the Ottawa area in the offseason with his family and he did play his junior hockey with the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL, who play just a stone’s throw across the Ottawa River from the city. However, I don’t think that warrants enough from the rumor mill to make him want to play for one of the most notoriously cheap and disastrous franchises in the National Hockey League.
The 33 year-old Hearst, Ontario native has made it known that he wants to finish his career in Philadelphia with the Flyers. After Giroux surpassed Brian Propp for third on the franchise’s all-time scoring list, he stated the following:
"“When you’ve got a chance to play with one organization your whole career, it’s something to be proud of. This organization has a great reputation. Since I’ve been here, they’ve treated me great. If I can, that would be great.”"
At his end-of-season press conference on May 11th after the Flyers’ disappointing season came to an end, Giroux reiterated his desire to win a Stanley Cup and the competitive fire that burns inside of him.
"“I want to win. I’m pretty pissed off at the position we’re in right now.”"
It would make absolutely no sense for the Flyers as they have no plans to rebuild and have continually expressed their desire to make the playoffs and bring home a Stanley Cup. It makes little sense for Ottawa as they would have to probably part with a multitude of picks and assets in the middle of their rebuild to acquire a player that ranks eighth in total scoring with 858 points since he joined the Flyers full-time.
Next season, Giroux will appear in his 1000th NHL game and more, all of them coming with Philadelphia. He was drafted in 2006 and has been with the Flyers at the NHL level on a full-time basis since 2008. He scored the goal that gave the Flyers their first victory in a Stanley Cup Final game since 1987. He has been the franchise’s captain since 2013 and has led them through perhaps the most turbulent decade the Flyers have ever seen in their history and has continued to lead by example with his strong play and smart hockey sense.
Unless the Flyers kick their captain to the curb when his contract expires in 2022, which is not likely to happen at all, Giroux is going to stay with the Flyers. The only way the Senators are acquiring Claude Giroux is if Pierre Dorion turns on his Xbox, throws in his NHL 21 game disc, and trades for Giroux in his Franchise Mode career.