Claude Giroux Is Heading Home, Signs With The Ottawa Senators
Icon Sportswire. Getty Images.Claude Giroux. Just a kid from Hearst, Ontario who moved to Ottawa when he was 14. He got signed by the Gantineau Olympiques in the QMJHL just outside of Ottawa, and was then drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers with the 22nd overall pick in the 2006 NHL entry draft. A couple years later, on February 19, 2008, Claude Giroux made his NHL debut. He did so in front of his hometown crowd in Ottawa.
God. I fucking love that guy.
Obviously he'd go on to have an amazing career with the Philadelphia Flyers from there where he played 1000 games and became the longest tenured captain in team history. But now at 34-years-old, Claude Giroux is looking to sign what could most likely be his final contract in the NHL. One last kick at the can. And even though there was the possibility of sticking around in Florida, Claude Giroux decided he wants to end his career back home.
And what a get for the Ottawa Senators, who still have a shit ton of cap space to work with.
Claude Giroux, Alex DeBrincat, Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson. That's a top 6 that is young for the most part outside of Giroux, but can do some serious damage immediately. Ottawa is still out there in the hunt to land another defenseman like MacKenzie Weegar or Jakob Chychrun to go along with a guy like Thomas Chabot. They just got Cam Talbot in net. There's a lot to really like about this Ottawa Senators team this year and for the next few years. And bringing in Giroux to be the veteran presence is the perfect fit. Just a perfect model for a guy like Brady Tkachuk to really mold the leadership aspect of his game off of. And sure, Giroux might not be the same exact player he was when he was in the mix for the Hart Trophy. But let's not forget he was still the MVP of the All Star Game last year and has some of the silkiest hands in the league. So that's perfect for a guy like Stutzle to really work off of.
I don't know, man. I think this is a move that is going to catapult the Sens into the playoffs immediately. Will they win a Cup in the next 3 years? Maybe not. But they're definitely going to be in the mix.
P.S. -- I need a camera crew to follow this team around next year. I feel like Giroux and Tkachuk together on the road could be a deadly combination. Lotta tomfoolery going on there.