The inevitable has finally become a reality. Claude Giroud, longtime captain and heart of the Philadelphia Flyers, was reportedly traded. The 34-year-old was sent to the Florida Panthers on Saturday night, officially ending his 15-year season with the Flyers.
According to a hockey insider Pierre LebrunThe Flyers also included Connor Bannaman, German Rubtsov and a 2024 fifth-round pick in the deal, and they will keep 50% of Giroud’s salary ($4,137,500).
In exchange, the Flyers are reportedly acquiring forward Owen Tippett, who will be a first-round pick in 2024 and a third-round pick in 2023.
Tippett, 23, was selected 10th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. In 94 career NHL games, Tippett scored 14 goals and 33 points.
The Giroux trade was expected. He did not travel with the Flyers during their brief visit north of the border to take on the Ottawa Senators on Friday night, a strong indication that the pending move was all but inevitable.
The current All-Star Game MVP is in the final year of an eight-year, $66.2 million contract he signed back in 2013, and with the Flyers’ season nearly lost, it was clear Philadelphia’s Stanley Cup chance was low. impractical. However, in Florida, Giroud will have a real shot at winning the title he more than deserves at this point in his career.
The Panthers are currently second in the league standings with 90 points on the season. The Panthers have gone 42-14-6 in 62 games this season, and with Alexander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Sam Reinhart already on the roster, Giroud will be surrounded by more talent than perhaps his entire career.
With the departure of Giroud, one of the most exciting eras of hockey in Flyers history is coming to an end. Undoubtedly one of the greatest players ever to wear the orange and black jersey, Giroud has been a staple of the Flyers ever since he burst onto the scene with his near points-per-game pace during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals. in 2010. The Hearst, Ontario native is the team captain with the longest tenure and holds the franchise record for most powerplay points with 339 points. more points than Giroud.
Selected 22nd overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Giroud played exactly 1,000 NHL games—all for the Flyers—at his own expense. During his time in Philadelphia, he scored 291 goals and 609 assists for 900 points. The only player in Flyers history to have more points and assists than Giroud is, of course, the great Bobby Clarke.
Giroud may be a member of the Panthers now, but is it possible that he will ever return to the Flyers?
May be.
This summer, Giroud will become an unrestricted free agent, and if he wants to return to Philadelphia, he will have the opportunity. However, with general manager Chuck Fletcher planning to “aggressively re-rig” a roster with limited ceiling space during the off-season, the viability of coordinating Giroud’s return seems questionable. However, much stranger things have happened.
In the meantime, it’s better to think about Giroud’s incredible career in Philadelphia. It’s been a hell of a ride and it’s going to be terribly weird seeing him in a different color uniform for at least the rest of this season.
No doubt many Flyers fans will be rooting for the Panthers to win it all next June.