The Ottawa Senators experienced heartbreak in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games after fighting back from a 3-0 series deficit. They want to build on this performance, and they hope Claude Giroux will be a part of the team when they take the ice next season.
Giroux signed with his hometown Senators three years ago in NHL Free Agency. He came off a playoff stint with the Florida Panthers that did not result in a Stanley Cup. The veteran winger made the decision to join an up-and-coming Senators team as they built toward postseason contention.
Ottawa finally made the tournament this past season. Giroux was a solid presence in the lineup, as well. He scored 15 goals and 50 points in 81 games last year. He added five points in six postseason games, as well.
The Senators recently had contract discussions with Giroux, but they went nowhere. However, Ottawa is not giving up. They are going to re-engage with the 37-year-old in hopes of reaching a deal on a one-year contract.
“The Ottawa Senators had more talks Wednesday with Pat Brisson, the agent for pending UFA forward Claude Giroux. It’s been a grind of a negotiation, by all accounts, on a one-year deal. I don’t sense Wednesday’s conversation produced the breakthrough the sides had hoped for, but the plan is to keep at it,” The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun wrote on Thursday morning.
Claude Giroux is in The Twlight of His Career
Carmen Mandato/Getty ImagesClaude Giroux could end his career with the Ottawa Senators.
Giroux is a future Hockey Hall of Famer. A Stanley Cup would certainly confirm his candidacy for the Hall. However, his 1116 points in 1263 career games will get him in the Hall one day.
Of course, the veteran winger hopes he can win the Cup before he hangs up his skates. When he hangs up the skates remains to be seen. In saying this, Giroux believes he can continue playing at a high level for a few more years.
“I don’t know how many (years) left, but I feel like I have a lot left in the tank,” Giroux said after Ottawa’s playoff exit, via The Athletic’s Julian McKenzie. “I’m loving hockey right now. I want to play, and I feel like I could be an impact player. It’s just going to be a big summer for me and for all my teammates, too. We have a little taste of it, of the playoffs, how it feels and how fun it is. When you have that little taste, you want to get back into it.”
Senators Want Giroux to Stick Around
Giroux may not be the player he was, but he remains a very effective player. However, his impact goes further than on-ice performance. He is a very popular member of the Senators locker room.
“I can speak for probably everyone: He’s got a bond to every single guy on the team,” Senators star Tim Stützle said after the playoff loss, via McKenzie. “I think he’s still a really special player, I think he makes our team better.”
“We are really lucky to have him, and I’ve been really lucky to have him for all those years now we’ve played together. We went through a lot of ups and downs, and I could always lean on him. He was always there for me, for Brady (Tkachuk) too, through hard times. That’s what it’s all about. So yeah, I love him, and hopefully we can have him back.”
The Senators are working to bring Giroux back. It does not appear as if there’s a disconnect between the two sides. However, with NHL Free Agency drawing near, the urgency to get a deal done is only increasing.
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