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Claude Giroux

Senators Begin Contract Talks With Claude Giroux

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May 30th: A few weeks after this initial report that informal discussions had begun, Garrioch shared today that face-to-face talks between Giroux and the Senators would start next week. The expectation is that if everything goes well, a new contract will be agreed upon then.

May 15th: Forward Claude Giroux highlights Ottawa’s list of pending unrestricted free agents but if they get their way, he won’t make it to the open market altogether.  Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the two sides have started informal discussions on a new contract for the 2025-26 season while GM Steve Staios is expected to meet with Giroux’s agent in the next few weeks to try to hammer out a deal.

Giroux joined the Senators three years ago as an unrestricted free agent, inking a three-year, $19.5MM deal on the opening day of free agency.  It’s fair to say the contract worked out quite well for Ottawa as the 37-year-old put up 71 goals and 122 assists in 245 games with the Sens while winning 59.1% of his faceoffs, one of the top rates in the NHL over that time.  This past season, he had 15 goals and 35 helpers in 81 outings while logging over 18 minutes a night of ice time.

While his age makes a raise quite unlikely, it wouldn’t be surprising if term is a key element in these negotiations.  Garrioch cites league executives who feel a one-year deal between $3MM and $4MM would be palatable for both sides while it’s worth noting that Giroux would be eligible for performance incentives in his deal if it’s a one-year pact.  However, given the anticipated demand for centers on the open market this summer, Giroux could have enough leverage to try to get a second year on the deal while also making him ineligible for those performance bonuses.

A veteran of 1,263 NHL games over parts of 18 seasons between Philadelphia, Florida, and Ottawa, Giroux has recorded 365 goals and 751 assists.  His 1,116 points put him in 66th place in NHL history in that regard.

Ottawa enters the offseason with around $17.5MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, giving Staios some flexibility to work with.  However, with that money, he has to re-sign or replace Giroux, re-sign trade deadline acquisition Fabian Zetterlund, add a second goalie (or promote Leevi Merilainen to the role), and fill out the roster with a handful of other pieces.  While that probably won’t leave them a lot of room to go shopping on the open market, they should have enough space to work with to get something done with Giroux in the coming weeks.

Senators Notes: Tkachuk, Giroux, Jensen, Pinto, Worlds

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While the Senators are disappointed by a first-round loss in the Battle of Ontario, there are plenty of reasons for optimism in the future after ending a seven-year playoff drought. One is the continued top-end play of captain Brady Tkachuk, who was still dealing with the hip injury he sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off during the postseason, he told Claire Hanna of TSN.

“The hip happened that Sweden game, took some time coming back to try to get it as good as possible,” Tkachuk said. “Now it’s just, take the time to get that all healed up… it could heal up in the next couple of weeks.”

Entering a pivotal 2025-26 campaign for the Sens as they look to establish themselves in the upper echelon of the Atlantic Division, it’s good news that their leading goal-scorer doesn’t expect any lingering effects and should head into training camp at full health. Signed through 2027-28 at an $8.2MM cap hit, he still led the Sens in playoff scoring with a 4-3–7 line and a plus-two rating through six games. While his 0.76 points per game in the regular season were his lowest in four years, he still topped Ottawa’s roster with 29 goals and would have registered his fourth straight 30-goal campaign if not for missing 10 games.

Here’s more on the Senators:

  • Veteran pending unrestricted free agent winger Claude Giroux wants to continue his career in his hometown of Ottawa. He hasn’t talked to Sens general manager Steve Staios about a contract extension yet, but still feels that he can be an impact player, he told Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. He’s been extremely durable since signing a three-year, $19.5MM contract with Ottawa in 2022, only missing one game. His point totals have steadily tailed off, though, and the 37-year-old scored 50 points in 81 games in 2024-25 for the second-lowest per-game output of his career over a full season. AFP Analytics projects a two-year extension for Giroux just north of his current cap hit, but it stands to reason he’ll be happy to re-up for the same number or slightly less. He only made $5.5MM in salary this year, so a marginal decrease wouldn’t even be a pay cut compared to the final season of his expiring contract.
  • Defenseman Nick Jensen may need offseason surgery for the undisclosed injury that plagued him down the stretch, he told Garrioch. Ottawa sat Jensen for two of its last four regular-season games, and he missed a couple of multi-game stretches earlier in the campaign. The 34-year-old was still an effective shutdown presence in his first season with the Sens, posting 21 points and a +18 rating in 71 regular-season games. He averaged nearly 21 minutes per game in the playoffs and controlled 57.6% of shot attempts when he was on the ice at 5-on-5 despite not recording a point.
  • Young center Shane Pinto is entering the back half of his two-year, $7.5MM contract and is interested in discussing a long-term extension after he becomes eligible to sign one on July 1, he told TSN 1200 Ottawa. After sitting out half of the 2023-24 campaign due to a suspension for violating the league’s sports wagering policy, he posted a career-best 21 goals and 37 points in 70 games in 2024-25 while shouldering top-six minutes.
  • Defensemen Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot declined invites from USA Hockey and Hockey Canada, respectively, to join their national teams for the 2025 World Championship in Denmark and Sweden, with the former citing rest as his reasoning (per Hanna and TSN 1200). Germany hasn’t yet approached star center Tim Stützle, he said, but will say yes once they reach out in the coming days (according to Garrioch). Dylan Cozens also said he’d welcome being added to Canada’s roster if asked, per TSN 1200.

Afternoon Notes: Hyland, Giroux, Grzelcyk

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The Hershey Bears have signed Washington Capitals draft pick Brett Hyland to an AHL contract for the upcoming season (Twitter link). The 21-year-old was drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 NHL entry draft (200th overall) and joined the Bears on an amateur tryout this past April.

The Edmonton Alberta native spent parts of five seasons in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings after being taken 24th overall in the 2018 WHL draft. He tallied decent offensive numbers in his final few seasons with the Wheat Kings and found his goal-scoring in his final year, netting 32 goals in 66 games.

Hyland will be joining a Bears team that has won back-to-back Calder Cup championships.

In other afternoon notes:

  • Newly acquired Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk believes he will be in the mix to play in the Penguins top four defensive group next season (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Grzelcyk told the media that injuries severely limited his play last season as evidenced by his dramatic drop in offensive production and being a healthy scratch for the final stretch of Boston Bruins playoff games. The 30-year-old had just two goals and nine assists in 63 games last season after posting four consecutive seasons with 20 or more points. The Penguins signed the Charlestown, Massachusetts native to a one-year $2.75MM contract on July 1st and given the struggles of Ryan Graves, it is very possible that Grzelcyk could be playing on one of the Penguins’ top two defensive pairings with either Kris Letang or Erik Karlsson.
  • Ottawa Senators forward Claude Giroux joined the Coming In Hot Podcast and talked about his future with the Senators beyond the upcoming season. Giroux noted that he hasn’t spoken with the team or his family about a contract extension in Ottawa and hasn’t thought about it at this time. Giroux has one year left on the three-year deal he signed in 2022 and added that his focus is on having a strong season next year and helping Ottawa reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Giroux isn’t saying much but given the Senators’ lack of success, it makes sense for him to wait and see how the next year plays out before deciding to commit to the team long-term. Giroux is 36 years old and has yet to win a Stanley Cup, and while Ottawa is his home city, the chase for a championship could be something he considers with his next contract.

Nominees Announced For 2024 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

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The Bill Masterton Trophy is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Nominees are selected by members of the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association, with finalists being named near the end of the regular season. Previous winners include Kris Letang (2023), Carey Price (2022), and Oskar Lindblom (2021).  Today, a new list of 32 nominees has been named.

Below are the nominees from each team:

Anaheim Ducks – Urho Vaakanainen

Arizona Coyotes – Connor Ingram

Boston Bruins – Danton Heinen

Buffalo Sabres – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Calgary Flames – Oliver Kylington

Carolina Hurricanes – Frederik Andersen

Chicago Blackhawks – Colin Blackwell

Colorado Avalanche – Jonathan Drouin

Columbus Blue Jackets – Zach Werenski

Dallas Stars – Matt Duchene

Detroit Red Wings – Alex Lyon

Edmonton Oilers – Vincent Desharnais

Florida Panthers – Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Los Angeles Kings – Viktor Arvidsson

Minnesota Wild – Marco Rossi

Montreal Canadiens – Joel Armia

Nashville Predators – Michael McCarron

New Jersey Devils – Curtis Lazar

New York Islanders – Cal Clutterbuck

New York Rangers – Jonathan Quick

Ottawa Senators – Claude Giroux

Philadelphia Flyers – Sean Couturier

Pittsburgh Penguins – Sidney Crosby

San Jose Sharks – Justin Bailey

Seattle Kraken – Joey Daccord

St. Louis Blues – Nathan Walker

Tampa Bay Lightning – Michael Eyssimont

Toronto Maple Leafs – Ilya Samsonov

Vancouver Canucks – Noah Juulsen

Vegas Golden Knights – Alex Pietrangelo

Washington Capitals – T.J. Oshie

Winnipeg Jets – Laurent Brossoit

Snapshots: Three Stars, Schenn, Thompson

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The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, with Ottawa Senators forward Claude Giroux taking home the top spot. The veteran scored four goals and seven points in three games, taking him to 19 and 47 on the year. Giroux is now 30 points shy of 1,000 for his career, and is scoring at nearly a point-per-game rate with the Senators, even at age 35.

It was an Atlantic Division sweep this week, as William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning took home second and third place respectively. Nylander continues to play at a different level for Toronto this year, scoring 28 goals and 59 points in 51 games. Vasilevskiy allowed just six goals on 102 shots across three games, winning them all. After leading the league in wins for five-straight seasons, Vasilevskiy has now closed the gap and trails Linus Ullmark by just two.

  • Luke Schenn has emerged as one of the most talked-about trade deadline chips, thanks to his low salary, Stanley Cup experience, and physicality. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff takes a deep dive into Schenn’s market, suggesting clubs like Boston, Minnesota, Calgary, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Vegas could all benefit from adding the veteran defenseman.
  • Tage Thompson is listed as day-to-day for the Buffalo Sabres, with head coach Don Granato telling reporters including Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News that the star forward has been dealing with some nagging injuries. Granato does expect Thompson to be on the ice tomorrow and isn’t ruling him out for Wednesday’s game. What that means for his All-Star appearance isn’t clear, as it would provide a good chance for him to recover, if still bothered by injury later this week.

Snapshots: Sandin, Senators, Schneider

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One of the unsigned restricted free agents still waiting on a contract is Rasmus Sandin of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Some have suggested that the Maple Leafs could trade the young defenseman, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet threw some cold water on that today during the 32 Thoughts podcast.

Like I said a couple of weeks ago, I really don’t think Toronto has a desire to trade Sandin. You look at their depth chart over the next couple of years and basically every defenseman aside from [Timothy] Liljegren and [Morgan] Rielly come off the cap pretty soon. I think they have a desire to keep him. 

Friedman notes that some agents believe the leverage for Sandin (and fellow unsigned RFA Nicolas Hague) has been lowered by some of the recent deals signed, including the ones for Michael Anderson (one year, $1MM) and Sean Durzi (two years, $3.4MM) with the Los Angeles Kings. Camp starts in just a few days, meaning Sandin might be absent if a deal can’t be worked out at the last second.

  • The Ottawa Senators announced their full leadership group ahead of what should be a very interesting season. Claude Giroux will be one of Brady Tkachuk’s alternates, along with Thomas Chabot, after signing a three-year, $19.5MM contract this offseason. Giroux served as captain of the Philadelphia Flyers for ten seasons before reaching unrestricted free agency this summer.
  • Cory Schneider will be back in the New York Islanders organization this season says general manager Lou Lamoriello, who spoke with media including Kevin Kurz of The Athletic today. The 36-year-old goaltender leaned into his role with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders last year, posting a .921 save percentage in 30 games, while also making one appearance at the NHL level (and winning his first game since 2019-20). Like so much other Islanders-related news, it is not clear what kind of contract Schneider will be signing, or what role is expected of him this year.

Claude Giroux To Sign With Ottawa Senators

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12:53 pm: The team has indeed signed Giroux to a three-year deal worth $19.5MM in total. Giroux will earn $7MM in the first two years of the deal and $5.5MM in year 3.

11:03 am: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the Ottawa Senators have signed veteran forward Claude Giroux to a three-year contract carrying a cap hit of $6.5MM.

Giroux, 34, had never played for an NHL team other than the Philadelphia Flyers before this season. A deadline deal, one that was highly influenced by his no-movement clause, took him to the Florida Panthers, where he managed to show he can still be a top-end offensive player. With the goal-happy Panthers, he scored 23 points in 18 games down the stretch and then was still effective in the playoffs, even if Florida’s offense dried up in other areas.

Now, as he enters free agency, it isn’t a return to Philadelphia but a homecoming of another sort. Though originally from Hearst, Giroux and his family moved to Ottawa when he was still just a teenager, giving him the chance to go to high school in the area and play high-level minor hockey. Originally passed over in the OHL draft, he would eventually find himself joining the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques, just across the river. In three seasons for Gatineau, he recorded 399 points, including a franchise-record 51 in 19 playoff games during the 2007-08 season.

His No. 28 is now retired by the Olympiques, and if the deal with Ottawa is completed, he’ll get a chance to wear it in front of the home crowd once again (if Connor Brown will give it up, at least).

Though he isn’t the MVP-caliber player of his youth, Giroux’s addition to the Senators lineup would be substantial. He and DeBrincat instantly legitimize a forward group that was previously considered young, talented, but unproven, and make them a force to be reckoned with. While there are still holes on the roster, Ottawa is making a case as a real contender in the Atlantic Division.

Ottawa Senators Expected To Push For Claude Giroux

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With the Florida Panthers still hoping to try and re-sign him and several other teams waiting for their chance, Claude Giroux is a wanted man. One team that most might not have expected is the usually tight-budgeted Ottawa Senators, who have emerged as a “legitimate option” for the veteran forward according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

Not expected, until one is reminded that Giroux grew up and played his minor hockey in the area, and still has strong ties to Ottawa. The 34-year-old would be a huge splash for an organization that is trying to claw its way out of the rebuilding stage and contend for a playoff spot once again.

After buying out Colin White, the team has plenty of money and cap space to go after someone like Giroux, and could offer him a chance to play with young talents like Brady Tkachuk or Tim Stutzle. The veteran forward has played mostly wing the last few years but also has tons of experience in the middle, meaning he and Stutzle–just learning the center position himself–could share responsibilities, as right and left-handed options on the same line.

They won’t be the only team after Giroux though. He still put up 65 points in 75 games this season, including an outstanding 23-point run with the Florida Panthers after a midseason trade. There’s enough skill there to be a difference-maker for the Senators or any team at both even-strength and on the powerplay, even if he’s not going to be the 100-point player he was in his prime.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Claude Giroux

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It’s hard to make a bigger impact as a trade deadline addition than Claude Giroux did for the Florida Panthers, registering 23 points in 18 games down the stretch and adding another eight in ten playoff matches. The veteran forward has proven he can still hang with elite offensive players even as he enters his mid-thirties, and should he reach free agency, there might be a few new ones trying to convince him to come north.

The Edmonton Oilers, reports Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, are “lurking” and hope to have a chance to sign the veteran forward if he fails to reach an extension with Florida. It also likely would only be possible if the Oilers can’t re-sign Evander Kane, though, with his uncertain future tied to a grievance hearing that is still unscheduled, Edmonton may be forced to make a tough decision on that front.

Giroux, 34, recorded 900 points over a 1,000-game career with the Philadelphia Flyers before heading to Sunrise this year and has long been an elite play-driving forward. With the versatility to play both center and wing, the idea of pairing him with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl (or both) will certainly be exciting for Oilers fans.

Still, a multi-year contract for a player of his age comes with plenty of risks, even if he did play well this season. The Oilers can’t afford to hand out deals that end up backfiring, as they look to capitalize on the elite play of McDavid and Draisaitl over the next few years. A player like Giroux might help them get closer to contention but if his game takes a step back, it could prove costly.

Latest On Claude Giroux

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The free agent market this summer may be headlined by players in their prime like Johnny Gaudreau and Filip Forsberg but there is also another tier of older talents that can still make a huge impact. Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Patrice Bergeron, and Marc-Andre Fleury could all be going into the Hall of Fame one day and are technically available, once July 13 rolls around.

There’s another player that should be included in that group: Claude Giroux. The Philadelphia Flyers icon is now 34 and though he may not have a ton of time left in his career, there’s no doubting that he can still be an impact player. After scoring 18 goals and 42 points in 57 games with the brutal Flyers squad this season, Giroux showed exactly how productive he can still be by joining the high-flying Florida Panthers and adding 23 points in 18 games. He had another eight points in the Panthers’ ten-game playoff run and now must make a decision on where to take his career next.

According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the first priority would be to stay in Florida. Both Giroux and his agent Pat Brisson told LeBrun that there is a desire to stay with the Panthers if possible, and general manager Bill Zito confirmed that he hopes to find a way to make it happen. Hope, of course, is the operative word, as the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Panthers don’t exactly have cap space to throw around this summer.

For the first time in a little while, there are no big restricted free agents to sign, but with more than $71.3MM already committed to 16 players, a $637K bonus overage penalty carrying over to next season, and Keith Yandle’s buyout penalty jumping to nearly $5.4MM, the Panthers will have to make some moves just to fit their current group in under the $82.5MM ceiling. Getting Giroux seems extremely difficult unless he’s taking a huge discount compared to what he could make on the market.

Wherever he lands, Giroux will have an outside chance at hitting the 1,000-point mark this season. The 15-year NHL veteran currently sits at 923 and needs just six goals to hit 300. It would be extremely odd to see him reach those milestones in a non-Flyers sweater, even if he did seem to fit in after arriving in Florida.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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