KANATA, Ont. — There is a question that must be at the forefront of Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios' mind right now when evaluating his players after another poor start to the season.
Are you part of the solution or part of the problem?
His answer on Claude Giroux should be clear.
Solution.
Staios should make extending Giroux a priority.
The winger and centre displays the utmost competitiveness, leadership, and hockey IQ. Despite being 36 years old, he is still a great hockey player. The fiery redhead shows up every game. He shows up every shift.
“To play as long as Giroux has, you don't just have one attribute that is strong,” said Senators coach Travis Green.
“He’s just a real good hockey player. But I think when he’s at his best, there's a fire that burns within him. When he plays with that fire, that urgency, that compete level, even though I wouldn’t say that he's the biggest guy, he's got an internal engine, internal fire.”
It was supposed to be a good ole hockey fairytale in the summer of 2022 when Giroux signed a three-year contract to return to the place he calls home: Ottawa.
“All my kids were born here — my wife also,” Giroux said. “And I've been living here in the summers for a long time now, so it definitely feels like home.”
When Giroux signed, it was a summer during which a series of moves by then-GM Pierre Dorion filled the Senators and their fanbase with optimism.
“Are we going to win the Cup next year?” said Giroux when he signed in 2022. “I don’t know. Probably not. I’m not saying we won’t, I’m just saying probably not.”
Time goes fast when you’re not having a whole lot of fun. Now, Giroux is entering the final season of his three-year deal. The Senators were supposed to be a playoff contender and not near the bottom of the league for a third straight campaign.
Despite the losing of late, the Senators are not in a place to rebuild. Their core of Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Jake Sanderson, Josh Norris, Thomas Chabot and Drake Batherson are all under the age of 27 and all have at least two more seasons left on their deals.
Throw in a forfeited first-round draft pick for either 2025 or 2026 from the Evgenii Dadonov trade and there isn’t much of a pathway to blow it up.
With no clear pathway to rebuild if the losing continues, the Senators need to keep Giroux as part of a framework for success.
Currently, Giroux has 17 points in 24 games and is on pace for 58 points. Outside of Tkachuk and Stutzle, Giroux has been Ottawa’s best forward in his two-and-a-half seasons and is still producing as a bona fide top-six forward this season.
How Giroux's production ranks among Senators players
Giroux has plugged in holes on various lines this season and he’s always been a driver. When he’s played with Stutzle, their lines have dominated opponents: The duo have been part of two of Ottawa’s three best lines in terms of shot share. They have outshot opponents 109-58 with Batherson on the right side, and 64-38 with Tkachuk. Both lines have a 60 per cent of the expected goals share.
It’s more than the on-ice performance. Routinely, Giroux takes players aside and gives pointers.
“He's our most complete player on a nightly basis and such a good playmaker,” said Batherson. “And I've been watching for a long time, and it's just really cool to be on his line. And like I said before, he was one of my favourite players to watch."
Giroux graciously pushes aside the admiration.
“Once in a while (Batherson) will bring it up, but I don't feel like I'm much older than him,” said Giroux.
“I think with age, I think you kind of realize what works for you and you focus on that,” he added. “I just keep trying to get stronger and keep getting faster. I think that's my recipe every year.”
Giroux is the anchor on the second power-play unit and leads the Senators in time on ice on the penalty kill this season. And he is a strong defensive forward. With Giroux on the ice, the Senators allow 2.4 expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five, according to Evolving Hockey, which ranks 283rd out of 690.
Giroux has also been elite at pickpocketing players with 109 takeaways since 2022-23, the 55th most in the league. Unfortunately, he’s been stolen from too.
Giroux hasn’t committed to his future in the game, let alone staying in Ottawa.
“I don't know,” Giroux told Sportsnet.ca. “Going one year at a time right now and see how the body feels. And I love the game. I love being at the rink every day. It's a little different now with three boys, but you just will see how things go.”
If Giroux stays in Ottawa, a potential comparable contract that the Senators could look at would be Joe Pavelski, who signed a three-year, $21 million deal in Dallas in 2019 as a 35-year-old. Pavelski had 64 points the season prior to signing that contract and then went on to have 161 points in three seasons with the Stars. Giroux already has more career points than Pavelski.
So when Staios sits down to decide whether or not to bring Giroux back, he should just do it: A motto Giroux exemplifies every time he’s on the ice.
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