Flyers fans were sent into a blaze during the opening of free agency when speculation arose that the team was interested in a reunion with Claude Giroux. Sentimentally, his tenure with Philadelphia should've never ended the way it did.
He was supposed to spend his entire career with the franchise, finally leading them to the promised land. But for many reasons, including some that fell on him, that didn't happen. Giroux played in his 1,000th game for the Flyers and was later traded to the Panthers to chase a Stanley Cup. He has spent the last three seasons in Ottawa.
At 37, Giroux has shown to be a valuable contributor to the offense. In his first season with the Senators, he posted a career-high 35 goals and nearly hit the 80-point mark. His numbers have dipped since then, but he's still been a near 50-point player. Giroux's ice time has dropped over the last three years, though that's just the business of being an aging player. The fact that he was able to contribute in a more limited role is still impressive.
And he's seemingly gotten better at taking draws, though he has been more of a winger during the latter part of his career. He was 72nd in the league in faceoffs taken (799), so while he has transitioned away from center, his 63.1 percent is still among the best in the league. And he's winning them all over the ice.
With that, it's understandable that the Flyers are interested in bringing him back. He wouldn't be a center, but he could take those important draws when needed. Pairing him with Sean Couturier could create chemistry and give the team a solid defensive duo late in games. And it would add some more offense to the bottom six.
But there is a problem with that scenario.
The Flyers don't have the space to make a Claude Giroux signing work
Bringing back Giroux doesn't make sense for the Flyers at this point. Before they made any moves, there may have been a spot open for him. But after bringing in Noel Acciari, there isn't much room left. And if you sign Giroux, whose spot is he taking? If the Flyers think he can move back to center, they already have four of those in Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, Noah Cates, and Couturier.
And things are even more jammed up at wing. You're not sitting Travis Konecny, Porter Martone, Owen Tippett, or Tyson Foerster. Denver Barkey and Alex Bump could potentially swap out, but their development is more important for a team looking to take more steps forward. Nikita Grebenkin's status could be a reason they feel they need to make the move. If they don't believe he's going to be ready for next season, then maybe it makes some sense. But he has been on the ice recently, which is a good sign.
Unless the Flyers plan to make any moves to ship out another forward or two, a reunion with Giroux shouldn't happen. It would be fun to see him in the orange and black again. But the timing isn't right.
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