Philadelphia Flyers trade scenarios for captain Claude Giroux

For 15 years, Flyers fans have not imagined captain Claude Giroux in a uniform other than orange and black. As others came and went, Giroux remained the only constant.

In less than a month, this era could be coming to an end.

Giroux, 34, has said in the past that he would like to be a Flyer for life. He started his NHL career in Philadelphia at the age of 20. He has since married, started a family and put down roots in the region. This city and this franchise is all he knows as a professional hockey player.

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However, with the Flyers floundering near the bottom of the standings, Giroux could prioritize winning his first Stanley Cup over retiring as a lifelong Flyer. Giroux, who is in the final season of an eight-year, $66.2 million contract, is expected to become an unrestricted free agent.

The Flyers’ lost season, their unpromising future, and Giroux’s contract situation make him the prime candidate for a contender at the March 21 trade deadline. But there is a catch.

Giroux has a no-move clause in his contract. If Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher wants to trade him, Giroux must waive it and approve any destination. Fletcher acknowledged last month that “it will be Claude’s decision.”

On March 17 against the Nashville Predators, Giroux is scheduled to play his 1,000th game as a Flyer. He played the second most games in franchise history, behind Bobby Clarke (1,144). Giroux may want to hit that milestone here, but the longer he and the Flyers wait, the greater the risk.

Whatever Giroux wants, Fletcher will likely do the right thing with his oldest player.

“He’s our captain, he’s been our best player this year,” Fletcher said last month. “No one cares about the Flyers more than him. I think we have to recognize what we’re dealing with here, he’s a franchise icon, his jersey is going to be in the rafters, to me he’s a Hall of Fame player.

When evaluating what the Flyers might receive in exchange for Giroux, the first thing to consider is recent player lease trades.

New York Rangers winger Rick Nash was in the final season of a seven-year ($7.8 million AAV) contract in 2017-18 when he was traded to the Boston Bruins. Nash was 33 at the time and had scored 434 career goals and 799 points.

However, Nash had just 28 points in 60 games by the deadline (sixth over Rangers). In 47 games this season, Giroux leads the Flyers with 38 points.

Nash was traded for center Ryan Spooner, winger Matt Beleskey (the Bruins kept their salary for the next two years), 19-year-old prospect Ryan Lindgren, a 2018 first-round pick and a seventh-round pick in 2019. A record number of first rounds (five) were shipped at the 2018 trade deadline and Nash was by no means the best player available.

Winger Nick Foligno and center Paul Stastny were traded before the deadline in the final years of their contracts at a similar age to Giroux now. Foligno was 33 in 2021 when the Columbus Blue Jackets completed a three-team trade to send him to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stastny was 32 when the St. Louis Blues traded him to the Winnipeg Jets in 2018.

Nor the caliber of player that Giroux is now (or ever). Columbus received a 2021 first-round pick and a 2022 fourth-round pick for Foligno.

“Claude Giroux would seem to command a lot more than that,” Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff said of the Foligno swap. “[Given Giroux’s] competition, that consistency, the versatility, the ability to play center or wing for a team in the playoffs.

The Blues traded Stastny in exchange for prospect Erik Foley, a conditional first-round pick in 2018 and a conditional fourth in 2020.

This year, more than a month before the trade deadline, the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens opened the market by trading 29-year-old winger Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames in exchange for veteran prospect Tyler Pitlick. of 20-year-old Emil Heineman, a first-round pick in 2022 and a fifth in 2023.

Toffoli is in the second season of a four-year contract ($4.25 million AAV) and has 26 points in 37 games played (.70 ppg) over Giroux (.79 ppg).

“Toffoli is a gifted goalscorer and has been pretty consistent in the 25-goal range, you can kind of put him in this world,” Seravalli said. “Giroux has no term and he is a little older. But in this case, he has a much higher ceiling in terms of what he can contribute to a team.

What sets Giroux apart from these examples is that he is the best player potentially available at the trade deadline. His value could fluctuate depending on who is available for buyers, how many suitors Giroux has, whether or not the Flyers are willing to keep their salary and where Giroux wants to go, if he does.

Ultimately, a team that is interested in negotiating for Giroux should have or create the salary cap space to do so. If Giroux waives his no-move clause as close to the trade deadline as possible and Fletcher facilitates a trade, his hit cap for his new team would be around $1.6 million. This amount is its average annual value in proportion to the number of days remaining in the season after the exchange.

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“I think Claude Giroux is in the world of first picks and top prospects,” Seravalli said. “Depending on how the salary is withheld and if the Flyers keep half of it to make it work for a team, that only increases the value the Flyers could get in return.”

The Colorado Avalanche, a team rumored to be interested in Giroux, currently hold the league’s best record at 37-10-4.

“It was amazing to watch them and they feel like they’re maybe one or two away from really being able to hit their mark for the first time since 2001,” Seravalli said of the Avs. .

Last week, Seravalli reported that the Blues could be in on Giroux. Currently second in the Central Division, St. Louis would provide some familiarity to Giroux: head coach Craig Berube and winger Brayden Schenn have both spent time with the Flyers.

“This is a team that is in competitive mode,” Seravalli said. “I think when you hear about the Colorado Avalanche in Central talking about or potentially chasing a player like Giroux, not only would you make your team better if you could trade for him if you’re St. Louis, but also be in a situation where you’re blocking it from going to a division rival you’ll likely have to face off against at some point before advancing to the Western Finals.

Just as a stylistic and situational adjustment, not based on actual reported interest, Servalli noted that the Rangers would be an attractive trade partner for the Flyers. According to The Athletic, the Rangers have expressed interest in bringing JT Miller back from the Vancouver Canucks. If Miller is on the table, why isn’t Giroux?

“He gives you that versatility that you need, he can play on the wing if you need him, he can play in the middle and potentially put him in a top six that already includes Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider and they have the cap space to make it work, they have the choices, they have the prospects to deal with that any team would be interested in,” Seravalli said.

“They really could be the best party the Flyers could trade with, except for the fact that they reside in your division and you should be watching Claude Giroux put on that jersey.”

When it comes to trading for Giroux, a first-round pick should probably be on the table. The Avalanche traded their 2022 first-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for goaltender Darcy Kuemper, but general manager Joe Sakic said he would be open to the team’s first-round trade in 2023.

Fletcher and Comcast Spectacor president Dave Scott insisted the team was not in rebuilding mode. Is a first round of 2023 less attractive than one for 2022? Or is it worth waiting for a deeper 2023 draft class?

From a personnel standpoint, Seravalli said the Avalanche seem unwilling to trade influential players from the current roster, especially 2019 first-round pick Alex Newhook, a 21-year-old center who has 20 points. in 41 games.

Seravalli said the Avalanche may be willing to move 2020 first-round pick defenseman Justin Barron, who projects himself as a No. 3 or 4 defenseman.

“Does that move the needle for the Flyers?” asked Seravalli. “How far does Justin Barron project? So those are kind of the questions you ask yourself when trying to deal with a team like Colorado.

The cap-short Blues may own even fewer plays than they would be willing to move. Many of their young stars have relatively weak successes, including Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, Ivan Barbashev and Pavel Buchnevich.

“There aren’t a lot of young guys that could be impact guys that you might see St. Louis wanting to move,” Seravalli said. “They have their [2022] first-round picks, they don’t have a second-round pick. Their prospect base isn’t really as deep as some of the other groups, so there isn’t really anyone you’d be looking to attract.

On Monday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said the Florida Panthers shouldn’t be counted either.

Like the Avs, the Panthers don’t have a first-round pick in 2022 and should be ready to move theirs in 2023. However, Seravalli said they have several trade pieces, including prospects Grigori Denisenko, 21. , and Owen Tippett, 23.

“[Tippett’s] a guy who had a shoot-first mentality in his career,” Seravalli said. “A recognized scorer, but who hasn’t been able to make it to the NHL level in nearly 100 games played consistently.”

Rangers would be “dealing with an embarrassment of riches” to have him, according to Seravalli. While young forwards Kaapo Kakko or Alexis Lafrenière may be at the center of Rangers trade deadline rumours, Seravalli has his sights set on their deep blue line.

The Rangers defense includes Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba and rookie Braden Schneider on the right side, and 21-year-old prospect Zac Jones on the left. How likely is general manager Chris Drury to move a young defender like Schneider?

“Teams are interested, obviously being a first-round pick in 2020 and that he’s been able to make an impact in 17 months and playing in the NHL, I think teams have taken notice,” Seravalli said.