Claude Giroux didn’t need much time to explain why he’s back in Ottawa.
The 38-year-old forward agreed to a one-year deal on July 7, setting him up for a fifth straight season with the Senators. On Tuesday, Giroux said the decision came down to family, comfort, and a place he still wants to be.
“For me and my family, it was about making sure we make the right decision,” Giroux said. “It’s a big decision for our family, especially when you get three boys. You want to make sure that you make the right one, and we feel like we did.”
There had been talk that Giroux might return to the Philadelphia Flyers, where he spent the first 13-plus years of his career. Instead, he said he worked through his options and landed on Ottawa.
“When you look at your options, and what you want to do and what really interests you, you have to put your mindset to it that it’s a possibility,” he said. “But when it was time to get it done and pick a team, I wanted to be here.”
What kept pulling him back, Giroux said, was the people around the team.
“I love the organization. I love my teammates, the coaching staff, you know, everybody that’s involved,” Giroux said.
“I’ve been here for four years now, and you just create those relationships. It’s not easy just to put that away.
It means something to you. And I want to play with those guys.”
Giroux, a Hearst, Ontario native, has shifted from the top-line center he once was in Philadelphia to a more secondary scoring role and a power-play specialist in Ottawa. Last season, he played all 82 regular-season games and finished with 14 goals, 35 assists and 49 points.
He said he’s ready to fit whatever role helps the Senators most in 2026-27.
“Whatever makes our team the best, I’ll be ready to do that,” Giroux said. “You got to be able to adapt, and I want to play some good hockey.
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