Weekly Question: Would Claude Giroux Really Come to Ottawa?

As the Sens lost to the Florida Panthers last night, one player was of specific interest to the fans watching: Claude Giroux. The infamous Ottawa native who just got traded from the Philadelphia Flyers has been in never ending rumours about potentially joining the Senators in the near future.

After spending 16 seasons (nine of which he was Captain) with the Flyers, both teams decided that it was time for a change of scenery. At 34-years old, one would expect Giroux to want to finish his career with a Cup contender. So where do the Ottawa Senators fit into the picture?

It really started with Elliotte Friedman suggesting it and somehow it continued to gain traction. Nobody expected him to come to Ottawa over the trade deadline because it made sense to give him a chance at a Cup. But in the past week or so, the idea has been one of the major topics amongst Sens fans.

Claude Giroux is still a very good player who would instantly take the Senators to another level. Not only would he have an impact offensively but this young team could really benefit from his leadership as a mentor. Giroux would also help the Senators in terms of fan engagement. Not that we don’t have an exciting team now, but Giroux would be a well-known star player coming into town drawing a few more fans to the game. More importantly, this shows a commitment from Sens management that they’re willing to start adding pieces that truly take the team in the right direction as opposed to signing veterans who only fill a spot without actually contributing (sorry Uncle Delly).

From a Giroux perspective, he is apparently doing his “due diligence” on Ottawa. Why would he come here when he can go to a team like the Golden Knights, Hurricanes or stay with the Panthers? For starters, who doesn’t dream of playing for their home town team? It seems to have worked well for Jason Spezza. Giroux and his wife are Ottawa natives who spend their summers here and are familiar with the community. On the ice, the Sens are a lot better than their current record with an up-and-coming team that is only expected to get better with the growth of Tim Stützle, Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk, and the addition of Jake Sanderson, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Shane Pinto. Why wouldn’t Giroux want to be part of that if the dollars and the term can be agreed upon?

Here is the issue, what kind of money is Giroux looking for at this point in his career and would Melnyk really pay up in the hopes he’d gain a few more fans in the stands? How would that impact negotiations with a player like Artem Zub who has now become a core of our struggling defense group? It’s a lot more complicated than Giroux simply wanting to come here.

If Claude Giroux were to win the Cup with the Florida Panthers this season, I would say it makes the Senators dream a bit more realistic. But if not, then I could see him wanting to continue the chase.

I would love for Giroux to come to Ottawa but I find it hard to believe something that good could happen to the Sens.

This week’s question is how real do Sens fans think the Giroux rumours are?

Is Claude Giroux Really Coming To Ottawa?