AP Photo/Matt Slocum
PHILADELPHIA — Claude Giroux closed out a chapter with a storied franchise in a storied sports town, playing in the final game of his Philadelphia Flyers career Thursday night at Wells Fargo Arena.
But when an emotional Giroux sat on the dais to address the media, it was clear that he would have like to rewrite the ending.
Giroux was finally traded to the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon, two days ahead of the March 21 NHL trade deadline, along with a fifth-round pick in 2024, Connor Bunnaman and German Rubtsov.
Owen Tippett, a top forward prospect, went to Philadelphia as the key part of the return. He’s a 22-year-old right winger who has not yet shown the scoring prowess he was drafted for at the NHL level, but he’s been playing behind a loaded roster and spending time in the AHL this season. Lack of playing time was a reason the Panthers were willing to part with him.
The Flyers are also receiving a first-round pick in 2024 and a third-round pick in 2023. It’s not exactly a package that can help the Flyers compete again next season, but Giroux had all of the leverage with a no-trade clause.
Philadelphia is sitting tied for last place in the Metropolitan Division with 69 points. They have no other choice but to sell. The 34-year-old Giroux is an impending free agent at the end of the season and the Flyers are in one of the most competitive divisions in the NHL. As painful as it is for Flyers fans, the trade was the right move at the right time.
It’s why Giroux’s final game on Broad Street had a somber feeling to it. After playing for just one professional organization throughout his entire career, the now-former captain must start life in a new locale for the first time.
Before the puck was dropped, Giroux was presented with a silver stick by former Flyers great Bobby Clarke, the only other player to play in at least 1000 games with the franchise. His two young sons, Gavin and Palmer, were given silver mini sticks while his wife and parents were given flowers. Gavin waved the crowd along with his dad.
Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images
The Flyers won the game, giving their captain a proper sendoff, but it was an empty win in the grand scheme of things. Giroux himself did not record a point, but that sort of was the point: His presence was intentionally limited so as not to risk injury.
He didn’t kill penalties, he wasn’t out there for the final minute of the game to defend a one-goal lead and the term “asset management” was openly used throughout the day.
“I think there would have been an interim to an interim coach had I put him out there late and he had blocked a shot,” interim coach Mike Yeo said. “I would have liked to put him out there in a normal situation.”
It’s an awkward exit from a city that has embraced him since he was drafted in the first round in 2006.
“He’s given everything he has to the city,” said forward Kevin Hayes. “Even though the season hasn’t gone the way we wanted to and trade rumors have been swirling, he’s handled it professionally.”
Weeks of speculation hit a fever pitch during the game. Although the Colorado Avalanche had flirted with Giroux all season, the Panthers emerged as the frontrunners by midday. Tippett was held out of the Charlotte Checkers lineup. The team’s director of team services, Stiles Burr, was listed on the pressbox seating chart, leading some to wonder whether there was already a plane already waiting for Giroux.
The reality really set in when he appeared to tear up on the ice when he skated his final lap.
“I was trying to keep it together,” he said. “Then the third period hit. The crowd, my teammates made it extra special.”
It’s the end of an era, but this era wasn’t an especially successful one for the franchise.
Giroux endeared himself to his teammates and the Philadelphia fans with his 900 career points (second all-time in franchise history), 609 assists (second all-time), 291 goals (eighth all-time) and his penchant for grilled cheese sandwiches, his infamous pregame meal of choice.
Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images
“I feel like I’ve had a great relationship with the fans and the city. I get them. They get me,” Giroux said. “I love them. That’s one of the reasons why tonight was so tough.”
A seven-time All-Star and a Hart Trophy finalist, the 34-year-old Giroux only has one thing left to accomplish in his NHL career: A Stanley Cup. Maybe it’s not fair to place the expectations of an entire city and an entire team on one forward, and those around the organization have said as much in recent days.
Still, the Philly faithful hung their hopes on Giroux for years while the club failed to bring in enough talent around him to get him a Cup. The Flyers lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010 Final and haven’t come close since. The goalie curse that has long plagued the team has remained. They’ve run through six head coaches and traded away a second-overall pick in Nolan Patrick.
Former Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall lost his job as a the general manager after failing to build a contender and he’s now running the hockey operations across the state in Pittsburgh. The fate of Chuck Fletcher, the general manager brought in from New Jersey in 2018 to right the ship, probably hinges on the return for Giroux. Justin Braun and Keith Yandle aren’t going to bring back big anything special.
Philadelphia has to start rebuilding—something the team probably should have done at some point throughout Giroux’s tenure but never did. It’s tough to sell a major-market fanbase on a rebuild, and Fletcher had to give the 2019-20 team a chance after they played so well ahead of the COVID-19 shutdown.
Offseason moves were made with an eye toward contention, but a nightmare season ensued. Defenseman Ryan Ellis, a key offseason acquisition, has been injured much of the season, as has Hayes. Ivan Provorov regressed. The goaltending tandem of Carter Hart and Martin Jones has been better than anticipated, but they aren’t getting much support: The Flyers are the second-lowest scoring team in the NHL netting just 2.52 goals per game.
There isn’t any alternative now. It’s time.
“It was a little bittersweet, for sure. He’s given a lot to this city and a lot to these fans,” Hart said. “If this is his last game as a Flyer—hopefully not—I wish we could have given him more. But it was a pretty special night for him to cap it off and get two points.”
There is always a chance for a reunion in free agency. For now, Giroux gets a chance to chase that hardware that has eluded him throughout his career. He could end up a line next to Aleksander Barkov, which would make a prolific offensive team even more prolific. The Panthers don’t have any glaring weaknesses and really, neither does Giroux.
It might not have been the perfect ending in Philadelphia, but it’s the perfect fit for a player like Giroux.
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