Claude Giroux Contract Talks On Hold For Now

When Sean Couturier signed his eight-year extension with the Flyers a few weeks ago, it was fair to wonder if the same was going to happen for Claude Giroux as well. He would be entering the final season of a contract that he signed back in the summer before the 2013-14 season. Coming into the eighth and final year of that deal, it looks like we will have to wait a bit longer to see if Giroux will continue playing in the orange and black.

Both sides, Fletcher and Giroux, have had brief conversations in regards to the expiring contract. However, Fletcher said that the two have agreed to take a step back from those and let the season play out before they work on an actual deal. There wasn’t much doubt that the two sides would be able to figure something out, though.

Giroux echoed a similar sentiment when he was asked about his contract status after the first day of training camp. There wasn’t any kind of different feeling for him with this being a contract year for him.

"“It feels the exact same. I don’t really think about that. I have had some conversations with Chuck, but that is not something that we are going to address right now.”"

He added that the conversations have been good between the two sides, but they will be tabling those discussions for later on in the year. With a full season ahead, we won’t expect to hear anything in regards to those talks until at least June if all goes well with the Flyers.

Giroux has spent a total of 14 seasons with the Flyers organization, making his debut midway through the 2007-08 season as an emergency call. Both the NHL and AHL rosters had been ravaged by injuries, allowing the team to make the call to the then QMJHL star. He only played just under nine and a half minutes and didn’t record a shot, but it was the beginning of a dream come true.

Despite not making the team after the 2008-09 training camp, Giroux quickly worked his way up to the NHL level. He was named Rookie of the Month that December in the AHL with 14 points in eight games. The Flyers took notice as he was brought up after the Christmas break, never looking back after that.

He recorded his first NHL point in his third game, grabbing his first career goal eight games in. Giroux also had a chance to grab his first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal, against the Penguins no less. Then came the 2009-10 season. It was a year that was largely filled with inconsistency and the Flyers’ playoff hopes came down to the final game of the season. It was Giroux who punched their ticket in with the deciding goal in the shootout against the Rangers.

It was a magical run to the Stanley Cup Finals as Giroux led the squad with 10 goals and 21 points in 23 postseason games. Those stand as playoff highs for him to this day. It was not meant to be, though, as they lost to the Blackhawks in six games. We don’t have to re-live that moment.

Coming into the final year of his entry-level deal, the Flyers signed Giroux to a three-year extension a month into the 2010-11 season. It was a break-out season for him, at the time, as he posted 25 goals and 76 points in his second full year with the team. He only followed that up with 28 goals and 93 points the following season. With the offseason trade of both Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, Giroux had been bumped up to the team’s top-line center role. While he was in consideration for the Hart Trophy, he finished 16 points behind the eventual winner, Evgeni Malkin.