OTTAWA, July 13, 2022 – Almost as soon as Free Agent Frenzy got underway today at noon, the Ottawa Senators announced the signing of goal-scoring veteran forward Claude Giroux to a three-year, $19.5M contract. The contract holds an average annual value of $6.5M and will see him earn $7M in 2022-23, $7M in 2023-24 and $5.5M in 2024-25.
A five-time 25 goal-scorer, the former Philadelphia Flyers’ captain ranks second among all-time Flyers in scoring with 900 points (291 goals, 609 assists) over an even 1,000 games for the franchise. He spent the 2021-22 campaign split between Philadelphia and the Florida Panthers and combined to record 65 points (21 goals, 44 assists) and 26 penalty minutes over 75 regular-season contests. After being acquired by Florida on March 19, he tallied 23 points (three goals, 20 assists) over 18 games with the Panthers and ranked secong among Florida skaters with eight points (three goals, five assists) over 10 post-season contests.
“We’re thrilled to add a player of Claude’s calibre to our lineup,” said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. “He’s an elite offensive talent with exceptional face-off prowess and a player who maintains a strong work ethic. His leadership skills are arguably among his best assets. We’ve set out to bolster our roster this off-season and this addition is another important component in helping us achieve that. We’re very happy to welcome Claude and his family home to Ottawa.”
Yesterday, the Sens announced that they acquired goaltender Cam Talbot from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for goaltender Filip Gustavsson, after trading goaltender Matt Murray to Ontario rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. And on NHL Draft day, July 8 the Ottawa Senators traded for forward Alex DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Adding DeBrincat and then Giroux to the Sens who already have a talented young core of forwards including Norris, Stützle, Tkachuk and Batherson and should make for a more an extremely solid offense in the coming season.
A native of Hearst, Ont., Giroux, 34, is the Flyers’ longest-tenured captain having served in the role for 10 seasons. While his 900 points see him rank second in overall scoring for the franchise, his 609 assists also rank second while his 291 goals are eighth-best. He holds the Flyers’ franchise lead with 30 shootout goals and with 11 overtime markers.
A seven-time NHL All-Star, Giroux led the Flyers in scoring in eight of his last 11 full seasons with the club, highlighted by a 102-point campaign in 2017-18 in which he tied for the NHL lead with 68 assists and ranked second among league players in points. The 2022 NHL All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, Giroux has totalled 923 points (294 goals, 629 assists) and 418 penalty minutes over 1,018 NHL games with Philadelphia and Florida. He has also recorded 81 points (28 goals, 53 assists) and 39 penalty minutes over 95 career NHL playoff contests.
Internationally, Giroux has represented Canada on several occasions and was a gold medal recipient at the 2008 WJC-U20, at the 2015 IIHF World Championship and at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
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