While a decision on his playing future is anxiously anticipated, a reunion between the Philadelphia Flyers and former captain Claude Giroux still remains a distinct possibility, five days on from the start of NHL free agency.
Giroux, 38, remains one of the best remaining free agents around the NHL, even in his advanced age, still without a new contract from his Ottawa Senators.
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According to a new report from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, that will remain the case for some time, as the former Flyers captain weighs his options ahead of what is widely assumed to be his last NHL season.
“Sources close to Giroux told the Ottawa Citizen late Friday that ‘he hasn’t made his decision yet’ on where he’s headed,” Garrioch reported. “The Toronto Maple Leafs have also spoken with Giroux’s camp and remain keenly interested, while the Edmonton Oilers made a pitch, but well-respected Sportsnet columnist Mark Spector says they’re no longer involved.”
That leaves two horses left in the race for Giroux: the Flyers, and the Senators, who have undergone a considerable roster shake-up this offseason already.
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Added Garrioch: “After spending the last four seasons with the Senators, it feels like Giroux has a foot out the door, and the sense in league circles is a return to the Flyers is inevitable. The belief is Giroux wants to take some time to make his decision because this will likely be his final season in the NHL.”
A potential Giroux reunion with the Flyers could hinge on the outcome of the Leo Carlsson offer sheet, which would tie up a whopping $18 million of cap space and leave the Flyers needing to move out some money to make any further additions and comfortably re-sign free agents Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and Nikita Grebenkin.
The Flyers remain interested in Giroux with or without Carlsson, but ultimately, the decision lies with the player, a veteran of 1,345 regular season games who has earned the right to choose the way he goes out.
At the time of this writing, PuckPedia shows the Flyers having $29.5 million in cap space, not including Carlsson’s pending $18 million cap charge, leaving $11.5 million for Giroux, Zegras, Grebenkin, and Drysdale
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