The Ottawa Senators and Claude Giroux already have one important piece of common ground in contract discussions.
The club wants to keep him and the veteran winger wants to stay.
Now, it’s all about the details.
The 37-year-old Giroux is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but sources say there already have been informal talks between the Senators and his Los Angeles-based agent Pat Brisson since the club was eliminated from the playoffs.
The expectation is that Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, will meet with Brisson sometime in the next few weeks to see if the two sides can agree on an extension.
The National Hockey League scouting combine will get underway the first week of June in Buffalo, so the belief is that Staios and Brisson may have a coffee there to determine what kind of contract makes sense to bring Giroux back.
We’re told that both sides know that this negotiation is important and doesn’t have to be difficult. This is a piece of business that can be taken care of so Giroux can focus on getting ready for next season and Staios can study his roster to see what changes need to be made.
Making $6.5 million US in the final season of a three-year deal he signed with the Senators on July 1, 2022, Giroux is without question the best free-agent signing this club has had in its history.
In 245 career games with the Senators, Giroux has contributed 71 goals and 122 assists for 193 points. The only game he missed in three seasons was down the stretch this year while being rested for the playoffs.
Averaging more than 19 minutes of ice time, Giroux ranks among the best faceoff men in the league with a 61.5% winning percentage last season.
He’s also as important with his leadership off the ice as he is when he’s on it. Giroux has helped mould captain Brady Tkachuk and winger Tim Stutzle into becoming better players at both ends of the ice.
The Senators were able to take some of the pressure off Giroux this season by bringing in veteran wingers David Perron and Michael Amadio, along with defenceman Nick Jensen from the Washington Capitals.
Staios doesn’t like to talk contract negotiations publicly, but he did state at the club’s end-of-season availability that the organization wants to have Giroux return.
“We love Giroux, we want to have him back,” Staios said on May 5.
Giroux played a key role in helping the Senators make the next step and wants to be part of what’s happening here in the future.
“I love the players, the fans, the city. This year was the most fun I’ve had in a few years,” Giroux said on exit day. “Coming to the rink was a lot of fun in that locker room. It’s a pretty tight locker room, so there are a lot of good things.”
Giroux will take a pay cut, but how much of a haircut is he willing to take?
He can still play, he can still contribute and he’s effective.
Nobody has to worry about Giroux not working hard in the off-season because the regimen he goes through with Manotick-based trainer Tony Greco of TG Athletics is legendary in NHL circles.
Several league executives Postmedia has spoken with since the season ended with a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round believe that a one-year deal in the $3-to-4 million range likely would satisfy both sides.
A league executive noted that Joe Pavelski made $3.5 million in his final year with the Dallas Stars and had the option to achieve up to $2 million in bonuses.
“That’s a good comparison to me,” the executive said.
There were differing opinions on what makes sense, but none of those contacted said they would sign Giroux for more than one year. Why? The contract can’t be buried and you’re on the hook for real dollars.
The club has $77 million committed in salary for next season, with $17.5 million in cap space. The club also has to sign restricted free agents Fabian Zetterlund and Tyler Kleven.
Related
Giroux finished with 15 goals and 50 points in 81 games last season. He mostly was used on the club’s top two lines, but also on the club’s power-play and penalty-killing units.
He came home three years ago because he wanted to be part of the solution with the core players. Giroux didn’t have the right supporting cast around him and the Senators didn’t have a reliable goalie until this past season.
There is no reason to delay getting Giroux signed until July 1, as a league executive told Postmedia the Montreal Canadiens would jump on the opportunity to sign him.
We have seen this organization, under previous ownership, let players go elsewhere and receive nothing in return. Getting Giroux signed should be a simple piece of business for Staios, especially when both sides want to get this done.