Flyers

Claude Giroux Reportedly Headed to Ottawa in Free Agency (UPDATED)

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Jul 13th, 2022 · 9:56 AM EDT

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Let’s get it back to the National Hockey League:

All signs point to the Ottawa Senators being the front runners to land UFA star Claude Giroux when the market opens today. @TSNHockey @TheAthletic

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 13, 2022

Wouldn’t be surprising. That’s G’s hometown team. He’s technically from a small joint in the middle of Ontario but moved to the Ottawa area when he was a teenager.

Did anybody think he was coming back to Philadelphia? Didn’t see a lot of buzz about that. I know people suggested the idea, but I can’t imagine it had legs. Going to Ottawa makes sense beyond the homecoming idea, because the Senators are trending upward and/or they can’t get any worse. They traded for Alex DeBrincat and Cam Talbot and will at least make the top-heavy Atlantic more interesting this season.

The free agency period officially opens at noon today. Johnny Gaudreau is not re-signing in Calgary. Chuck Fletcher is trying to clear cap space. There are Devils rumors out there. Buckle up!

update – it’s official:

Claude Giroux of Hearst, Ontario, agrees to a three-year deal with the Ottawa Senators. $6.5 M AAV per season.@TSNHockey @TheAthletic

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 13, 2022