The Ottawa Senators and pending unrestricted free agent Claude Giroux have reportedly been in contract talks for several weeks. While the two sides remain at a stalemate, they recently met in an effort to close the gap, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.
Garrioch shares his belief that the Sens would like to bring Giroux back on a one-year deal. While Giroux just put up a solid 50-point campaign (and added five points in six playoff contests), it did represent a 14-point decrease from the prior. A one-year deal could protect Ottawa from the potential of the 37-year-old Giroux completely hitting the wall.
Giroux recently completed a three-year, $19.5MM contract with the Senators in which he scored 71 goals and 193 points in 245 games. With 1,263 games played and 1,116 points to his name, Giroux boasts a resume that warrants consideration for the Hall of Fame. He’s also contributed 86 points in 101 playoff games, giving the young Senators a veteran presence as they aim to take the next step. The team ended its eight-year playoff drought this past season, and with key pieces like Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Dylan Cozens, Jake Sanderson, and Thomas Chabot locked in for the foreseeable future, Ottawa appears poised to become a legitimate contender.
For his part, Giroux appears to have an interest in returning to Ottawa. However, with fewer than two weeks remaining until free agency, the Senators have just $15 million in cap space (per PuckPedia), and as Garrioch notes, the team has also held discussions with fellow pending free agent forwards Adam Gaudette, Nick Cousins, and Matthew Highmore. They also face key decisions regarding restricted free agents like forward Fabian Zetterlund and goalie Leevi Merilainen. It remains to be seen where Giroux falls in that list of priorities.
If Giroux does hit the open market, Garrioch believes the Montreal Canadiens would have interest in his services. Like Ottawa, the Canadiens have a young, talented core leading the way. However, with just over $6 million in cap space (per PuckPedia), they’d need to get creative to add Giroux and other assets once free agency begins.
I’d give him 1 year, 3 million.
He shoulda never left the Panthers.. dude jumped off a Dynasty train as it was revving its engines