The clock is ticking on Claude Giroux and the Ottawa Senators. Read MoreThe veteran forward can become a free agent if he’s not signed to a new deal by July 1.
The veteran forward can become a free agent if he’s not signed to a new deal by July 1.
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The clock is ticking on Claude Giroux and the Ottawa Senators.
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Ten days to the opening of National Hockey League free agency, and the veteran winger remains unsigned. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but curiously the Senators haven’t yet agreed to a deal with the 37-year-old forward.
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Talks have been held regularly, and sources say the Senators remain “hopeful” that Giroux will be back next season. He signed with Ottawa in 2022 to help get the club back into the Stanley Cup playoffs, which it did in 2025, and there are better days ahead.
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Dave Poulin, the Senators’ senior vice-president of hockey operations, told season-ticket holders at a summit earlier this month at the Canadian Tire Centre that the Senators wanted to keep Giroux.
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“He’s a huge part of our hockey team, and he’s brought so much to the community,” Poulin said. “We love Claude Giroux as an Ottawa Senator, and he loves being an Ottawa Senator. Negotiations continue. That’s all I have.”
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Steve Staios, the team’s president of hockey operations and general manager, made similar remarks.
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With free agency approaching, it may be time to show genuine affection in negotiations with Giroux. The closer this gets to July 1, the more danger there is that he’ll head to the open market, and one executive has told Postmedia that the Montreal Canadiens could show interest.
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Because the Senators want Giroux back and he wants to return, that’s one hurdle cleared.
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Now they must work out the details, which is expected to be a one-year contract.
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The belief in NHL circles is that Giroux’s camp is likely using the $4 million that Ottawa winger David Perron will make in the final year of his deal as a comparable. That makes sense: Giroux finished with 15 goals and 35 assists for 50 points in 81 games last season.
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Postmedia has spoken with several league executives in recent weeks, and they agreed that Giroux’s next deal should have a base salary in the $3-million U.S. range plus achievable bonuses that could allow him to make between $4.5 million and $5 million.
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Though a report by Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman said the two sides were trying to come up with a “bonus structure,” Postmedia has been told they’ve yet to agree on the amount of the base salary.
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The Senators have $10.75 million in salary-cap space with 17 of the 23 players on the active roster signed, and team officials have stated it won’t spend to the cap.
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