Claude Giroux doesn’t sound like a player in a hurry, and that may be because he knows the clock is getting close to the end.
The 38-year-old center has been linked to a number of teams all summer, but a decision may not come quickly. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reported that Giroux may be weighing the possibility that the 2026-27 season could be the final one of his playing career.
That would close the book on a 19-year run that has been built on steady production and near-automatic availability. In four seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Giroux missed only one game, starting that stretch in his age-35 season.
He also finished as Ottawa’s best faceoff man over that span at 59.9 percent, while averaging 21 goals and 61 points a year. Whether lined up at center or shifted to the wing, he remained a dependable piece every night.
The wear and tear has started to show, though. Giroux logged 16:18 per game this season, a career low and nearly two minutes below his 18:12 mark from last year. His usage on special teams, an area where he has long been able to give teams an extra push, also kept sliding after beginning its decline in the 2024-25 season.
Even with that slowdown, Giroux still looks like a player who can help a contender. He led all Senators with a +14 goal differential and ranked fifth on the team in expected-goals percentage at 56.8 percent, according to HockeyStats. He also posted the best faceoff rate of his career in the 2025-26 season, winning 63.1 percent of 799 draws.
Ottawa would have reason to want him back. His ability to move through the top six helped Dylan Cozens and Shane Pinto settle in down the middle.
But the Senators may not have the room to make it happen, with PuckPedia projecting just $5.045MM in cap space. CapWages and AFP Analytics expect Giroux to land a modest $2.5MM deal, though that number could climb if he hits an open market short on center options.
If Ottawa can’t keep him, there are other suitors waiting. The Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs are both interested.
Giroux spent his first 15 NHL seasons in Philadelphia after the Flyers selected him 22nd overall in 2006. He became a franchise cornerstone there, reaching 900 points in 1,000 games before leaving in 2022.
A return to where it all started could appeal to him, while Toronto offers another path after its recent roster shakeup, with Auston Matthews and John Tavares in place for a legitimate center role.
However Giroux chooses to finish, he has already built a career with plenty of weight behind it. He has won Gold Medals at the World Championship, World Cup, and World Junior Championship, but the NHL trophy case has stayed empty despite leading Philadelphia to Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals. His nine years as Flyers captain and his long track record of consistency may still give him a real Hall of Fame case, especially if there’s one more strong season left in him.
In Other News...
Wild Quietly Secured Important Right Side Blue Line Depth
Ottawas offseason roster churn has already started to ripple beyond the NHL level, and one of the more notable names in that mix is Arthur Kaliyev. After putting together a big AHL season with Belleville, the winger still found himself on the outside of Ottawas plans when the club chose not to tender a qualifying offer, leaving his future tied to the broader market rather than the Senators depth chart.
That uncertainty has only grown as interest has surfaced from multiple KHL clubs, a reminder that Ottawas decision could send a productive scorer overseas instead of back into its organization. For a team looking to keep its pipeline stocked and its options flexible, Kaliyevs next move is one more small but meaningful offseason thread to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Power Play Could Be Headed For A Risky New Direction
The Senators made one of their most important summer moves by keeping Claude Giroux in the fold on a one-year contract, a deal that gives Ottawa a familiar veteran presence while it continues to build around its younger core. Girouxs return fits the organizations broader approach of balancing development with reliability, and it keeps a steady two-way player in a room that still leans on experience in key moments.
The contract itself reflects that balance, with a modest base salary and the chance to earn more through performance bonuses. Ottawa wanted to preserve Girouxs leadership and on-ice stability without losing flexibility, and the timing of the agreement suggests both sides were motivated to get it done quickly once talks gained momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Next Captain Choice Will Say Everything About This New Era
With Brady Tkachuk and Daniel Alfredsson no longer in the picture, Ottawa is once again staring at one of those franchise-defining decisions that can say as much about the room as the roster. The Senators have a few obvious paths, and each one points in a different direction for a team trying to define its next era. Thomas Chabot brings tenure and a long view of what the organization has been through, while Claude Giroux offers the kind of steady presence that can help bridge a transition without forcing the issue too soon.
Then there are the younger possibilities, Tim Sttzle and Jake Sanderson, who represent the question Ottawa has to answer before the season begins: should the captain be the most established voice, or the player most likely to carry the team forward? The club could even choose to leave the role empty, as it did after trading Erik Karlsson, which would only underline how much this choice reflects the Senators priorities right now. [Read more 🡒]