Photo Credit: Katelynn Reiss
We have reached that time of year when the majority of teams in the league know where they stand. Some are clear-cut contenders and don’t need much help improving their team other than adding some depth at the bottom of their lineup. Other teams think they might be a superstar away from truly being able to contend. Finally, there are teams with talented but aging cores that are out of the mix and looking to get younger with an eye toward the future. The Flyers fit in that third category of teams and should be willing to offload some of their expensive veterans. Included in those veterans is the longest-tenured Philadelphia athlete, now seven-time all-star, and captain of the Flyers for the last 10 seasons, Claude Giroux.
There are reasons for and against trading away the face of the franchise for the last 15 years which I will explore in this piece. After we look at both sides, I will determine which route I think is best for the current state of the Flyers, with the understanding if indeed Giroux agrees to waive his no movement clause coming week(s).
The Case to Keep Claude Giroux
Giroux is everything you want in a hockey player. He is tremendous with the puck, can finish plays by putting the puck in the net, is able to set up other players, and plays sound defensively. Off the ice, he has been a steadying influence for the Flyers’ young players that have been coming through the system for the last half-decade. He was named the captain back in 2013 because he demonstrated strong leadership abilities in the playoffs the previous year and has continued to do so as he has gotten older. Giroux has been a constant cornerstone and icon that the Flyers have failed to build around. Making the playoffs every other year and being one and done does not count as a successful season. It is also becoming increasingly obvious that the 2019-2020 season was a fluke when the Flyers ended up the top seed in the Eastern Conference as they failed to make the playoffs the following season. Chuck Fletcher made a lot of trades over the summer and completely overhauled the defense which has been miserable yet again. He swapped Jake Voracek for Cam Atkinson in a deal that has been pretty fair for both sides this far. If this front office regime brings in a new coach in the offseason and decides to go into next season with close to this same roster, they need to not only keep Giroux but find a way to extend him long enough for him to finish his career in Philly.
The Case to Trade Claude Giroux
Giroux is possibly the hottest name on the market currently. We are still two months away from the deadline, but the groundwork for any potential trade needs to start coming together now. On his Insider Trading podcast, Pierre LeBrun states that no real conversations between Giroux and the Flyers have happened yet regarding his future. He doubles down on that by saying that G hasn’t even gone to his agent yet to ask for a trade. At some point, if the Flyers continue to spiral out of control this season, there should be a hard reset of the franchise. That reset needs to begin by trading away the best player to wear the Flyers’ jersey since Eric Lindros. In a deal for Giroux, the team acquiring him is going to have to pay the rest of his contract, part with at least one first-round pick, and a high-level prospect. Hearing what the orange and black could get back for him should entice the Flyers to bring Giroux in and explain that they think it would be best for both parties to move on. Letting Giroux decide how his Flyers career (potentially) ends is the least the Flyers could do for him. Giroux also holds a NMC (no movement clause) in his contract which essentially allows him to decide if he wants to be traded, and also where he can be traded to. Teams that should be in the mix for Giroux are Colorado, Vegas, Boston, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Tampa Bay Lightning. Getting a first-rounder from any one of those teams is basically a second-round pick because those teams are all built to make deep playoff runs. Of those teams, the Rangers, Avalanche, and Hurricanes have the best prospects to pick from. Giroux, especially on an expiring deal is not getting back the top prospect in any of these three systems unless the Flyers do not ask for a draft pick (which they 100% should and will).
I would like to add that Giroux holds the keys to the ship, and he may only have one or two teams on his wish list to be traded to, in the event that that happens these teams aforementioned are now moved to the wayside.
The Verdict
When push comes to shove, the Flyers are not going anywhere this season. They will finish a bottom 10 team at best and hope they get lucky in the draft lottery. This franchise has no direction right now. They are an old roster that thinks they can compete when everyone is healthy but gets pushed around the ice every night. The offense can’t score, the defense is letting the goalies hang out to dry by themselves, and the coaching change has had no effect on this team. Instead of being mediocre and settling for missing the playoffs by 10 points, clean house, call up young players, and miss the playoffs by 25 instead for a better chance at a high-impact player in the first round instead of Nolan Patrick again.
There is not a more clear way to dictate the direction of a franchise than to trade its best player. The Flyers need to trade Claude Giroux. They have failed to build around him for the last 15 years and are paying for it now. The only problem with trading him is his NMC. Theoretically, a team that wants to acquire him that he also wants to join, does not have to offer up much. If the Avalanche come calling and offer a second-round pick but the Bruins offer a first, Giroux essentially has the final say of where he goes. If the offer is a lowball offer, the Flyers have to take it (unless they are okay with keeping him) because they have absolutely no leverage in any potential deal.
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Ultimately, I can see the Flyers trading Giroux to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick, conditional 2022 second-round pick (conditions are based on team success in playoffs), and Lukas Cormier. Having an extra first in the 2023 draft is huge if this team decides to rebuild. That draft is going to be better than the 2015 draft class which produced names like McDavid, Eichel, Aho, Kyle Connor, Zach Werenski, Ivan Provorov, and more all-stars.
But…..
Finally, definitely do not be surprised if Giroux decides to re-sign in Philadelphia if he is able to win the Stanley Cup this season. Giroux has always loved playing in Philadephia, has a family that he does not necessarily want to move out of the area, and is an extremely loyal player. Although Giroux could be leaving the organization, I think this is more of a “see you later” instead of a real split.
