Steve Staios took a calculated swing on Claude Giroux, and it looks like it’s about to pay off.
After Giroux hit unrestricted free agency on July 1, Ottawa didn’t rush to fill the spot or spend the money elsewhere. Instead, Staios held the line and left a place open for the 38-year-old veteran. Now, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Giroux is set to return to the Senators for a fifth season in Ottawa.
That outcome would be a welcome one for a team that already watched Brady Tkachuk get traded away and didn’t want to keep saying goodbye this summer.
Staios said last week that the Senators had been working to keep Giroux in the fold for a long time.
"I think we've stated how much we want him back," Staios said. "We've been unwavering in our message to him, offered him a contract as far back as before the trade deadline."
Even after Giroux chose to test the market, Ottawa didn’t pivot. Staios made the unusual call to wait it out rather than use the available cap room on another player.
"Obviously, that spot is reserved for him," Staios said. "I'm eagerly anticipating waiting to have a conversation with him."
At the time, that approach carried real risk. Free agency and the trade market kept moving, with experienced forwards coming off the board while Ottawa mostly stayed put.
Still, Staios never sounded like a man bracing for bad news. He spoke like someone expecting Giroux to come back.
The return matters beyond whatever Giroux still gives the Senators on the ice. With Tkachuk gone, Ottawa keeps one of the league’s most respected veteran voices in the room. Whether or not Giroux ends up in line for the captain’s "C," his presence becomes even more valuable now than it was over his first four seasons with the club.
Giroux made his feelings about Ottawa clear after the playoffs in April.
"The guys in that locker room, I love spending time with those guys," he said. "They make it fun coming to the rink... I feel very lucky."
Staios’ summer has drawn mixed reactions, and his handling of the Giroux situation has been part of that conversation. If this deal gets done, though, the Senators will have kept one of their most important veterans without having to scramble for a replacement.
He bet Giroux still wanted to be in Ottawa.
Friedman’s report suggests Staios was right.
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