Claude Giroux is an Ottawa Senator.
Just re-read that first sentence.
Soak it all in. It feels incredible.
After months of rumours suggested that the player was interested in returning home, the Senators officially announced that Claude Giroux inked a three-year contract that carries an average annual value of $6.5 million. It is a frontloaded deal that will pay him $7.0 million in each of the first two seasons and $5.5 million for the 2024-25 season.
General manager Pierre Dorion reflected on the acquisition in the official press release.
"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."
Giroux will turn 35 years old next January, but despite being in his mid-30’s, he is still an impactful player.
In his last season that he split between Philadelphia and Florida, Giroux tallied 21 goals and 65 points. His underlying numbers over the past three years are even more impressive.
Even if there is some age-related decline, his ability to impact the game at both ends of the ice will be a huge addition to the Senators’ lineup and their top-six.
As you can see from the HockeyViz.com visual above, Giroux’s isolated impact in the offensive (more red = good) and defensive (more blue = good) are readily transparent.
The expectation is that Giroux will find himself playing on the right wing alongside Alex DeBrincat and Tim Stützle. One of the small details to this prospective trio is that Stützle struggled mightily in the faceoff dot. Off all the players in the league to take more than 400 draws, Stützle had the fourth-lowest success rate (38.2%) in the league. At the other end of the spectrum, Giroux had the league’s third-highest success rate (60.3%).
If the Senators can win more draws and gain possession of the puck more often because of it, the team’s underlying shot and goal rates should hopefully improve. And it’s a strength that the Senators can absolutely take advantage of when the team is on the power play. Although Giroux’s addition certainly fuels speculation as to how the Senators will go about filling their first and second units. Will they load up their top unit or try and balance out the two?
For Giroux to arrive in Ottawa with a reasonable salary figure that absolutely will not hamper this team’s cap situation down the road, it is a massive development for a franchise that needed a jolt in the arm.
To the general manager’s credit, by acquiring Alex DeBrincat and trading for a known veteran goaltender in Cam Talbot, Pierre Dorion made a convincing pitch to a player who really wanted to come home for his family’s benefit. Maybe in some alternate reality where Ottawa does not make these moves, Giroux would still have had Ottawa as his preferred destination, but in doing so, Dorion helped his case.
Looking back over the past four and a half years, it is surreal that the organization is at this point where valuable assets want to come and play for this franchise. Not only will Giroux’s on-ice performance help insulate the young core that management has put together, but as a former captain who has experienced success in this league — a Hart Trophy finalist in 2013-14; a 7-time NHL All-Star, a second-team NHL All-Star in 2017-18 — his experiences, leadership and intangibles are going to play a pivotal role in helping develop this team’s young core.
Off the ice, Giroux is a marketing dream for this franchise. As a bilingual local hockey product who played junior hockey in Gatineau, the organization absolutely has to leverage his presence to market itself and make inroads with the fans across the bridge. With a new arena slated to arrive at LeBreton Flats, the opportunity to engage this neglected group of hockey fans will be important for maximizing new revenue opportunities and helping fill seats in the team’s eventual new home.
What a day.
What a week.
Can we drop the puck already?
Senators and Oilers Close to a Connor Brown Deal?
The Senators and the Edmonton Oilers have been linked in trade talks involving Connor Brown this afternoon.
According to Edmonton journalist Mark Spector, the discussions have not involved Jesse Puljujarvi or Warren Foegele. The Senators are reportedly more interested in acquiring draft picks.
It makes sense for the Senators to target draft picks. Having more picks will simply give the organization more ammunition to land the top-four defenceman it desperately covets or package to rid the organization of an undesirable veteran in Nikita Zaitsev.
It is disappointing to read that the Senators are not particularly interested in acquiring Jesse Puljujarvi. If the Senators move Brown, Puljujarvi would offer some quality depth and controllable term. And without knowing how the league’s investigation into the 2018 Hockey Canada/World Junior scandal will unfold, we don’t really know whether the two players from that roster who play for the Senators will be implicated or will be found innocent.
Injuries could also play a role, but having Puljujarvi around as a depth option would be a nice insurance policy that should not be too cost-prohibitive in terms of what it would take to acquire him.
Other News and Notes:
The well-liked Colin White signed a one-year deal with Florida worth $1.2 million. That is a really soft landing spot for the centre and he should have an excellent opportunity to capitalize on playing a depth role in that lineup.
Former Senator Erik Gudbranson certainly capitalized on his season in Calgary. The defenceman inked an astounding four-year contract worth an average annual value of $4.0 million. Given the player’s age and poor underlying numbers, it was shocking to see him land that kind of money and term. It is nothing against the player, but it is a classic case of a team overpaying to fill a perceived need for toughness.
There has been some rumours floating around about CBrown as part of a package to get Marino from the Penguins.
It look like Dorion may have options here and isn't done dealing.