Where Does Giroux Go From Here?
By Scott Cole
On Monday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning, hoping to make it three straight Stanley Cup titles, slammed the door on their in-state rivals as they swept the Florida Panthers to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. It was a tough battle, but the seasoned vets of the Bolts prevailed. Lost in the shuffle is what happens to former Flyers captain Claude Giroux.
Giroux was a trade deadline acquisition who was expected to help guide the Panthers with his leadership and scoring abilities. In 18 games, Giroux scored three goals and had 20 assists; for a yearly total of 21 and 44, both high marks since the pre-pandemic era.
In the playoffs, Giroux flourished. He scored three goals and notched five assists in the 10 games that he was there. In comparison, the last time the Flyers were in the postseason, Giroux had one goal and seven assists in 17 games in 2019-20.
But now that the season is over, Giroux is a free agent. There will be no shortage of bidders for his talents. So where will he go?
Stay in Florida?
Granted, when it comes to salary caps, a lot has to be figured out. Some current players on a team could find themselves gone based on free agency or trades. But as of right now, the Panthers are projected to have about $3-4 million in salary cap space. That’s not going to be enough to keep Giroux there. They don’t have a whole lot of free agents they need to keep, with Ben Chariot headlining that list.
It is possible that Giroux could take a cheaper deal, or one that is staggered out to remain in Miami. After all , the Panthers should still be strong contenders for the Eastern Conference Championships. A full year of him with some of his teammates, such as Jonathan Huberdeau, could appeal to him.
Test the Waters?
Does he want to be a big time free agent and get paid? Giroux will have his choice. He can get paid and go to a team that is rebuilding but just cash in (Buffalo has $40 million in cap space). He can choose to go to a real contender and be that “missing piece” they need (Avalanche have $22 million in cap space).
This depends on him. At the trade deadline, he had a preference to stay on the East Coast. Does he go to Canada? Does he go to a Metro Division rival (Devils have $20 million and Hurricanes have $18 million in available space)? It’s hard to say where he will land if he chooses to be a free agent, but there won’t be any team that would refuse him if he said, “You know, I’d really like to join the ________.”
Return to Philly?
Could he come back? The fans would love it. The team would love it. Would he?
I think it really depends on who the Flyers get as their head coach; which is one reason the Flyers need to figure this out before free agency begins.
However, would he want to come back to a team that is in transition? The Flyers are not really rebuilding but are not really thought of as contenders either. They could be a piece or two away from being a top tier team. Yet again, as this year has shown with injuries, they could also be a few games away from basement dwelling.
Would a return appeal to Giroux? Would he be excited about coming back to a team in the shape the Flyers are in? It would be great if a reunion could happen. However, a lot of key things are in place. Maybe it is time for everyone to move on and have a change of scenery.
Was there any bad blood between him and team management? There doesn’t seem to be, but then again hockey players are more tightlipped about these things than players in other professional sports leagues (Of course we all remember the drama that was Clarke vs. Lindros).
Time will tell. Either way, I know that every Flyers fan hopes for nothing but the best for him….unless he suits up in Penguin puke yellow! Then all bets are off.