All in: Florida Panthers trade for All-Star forward Claude Giroux ahead of deadline
Claude Giroux is officially a Florida Panther.
The Panthers have spent much of the last few months linked to the All-Star forward as they try to load up to make a run at the Stanley Cup and they were able to come to an agreement with the Philadelphia Flyers to bring him to Sunrise a few days ahead of the Monday trade deadline.
“Claude has been one of the most complete talents in the National Hockey League for over a decade,” general manager Bill Zito said in a statement. “He has demonstrated his elite leadership and work ethic during his tenure in Philadelphia and we are thrilled to be able to welcome a player of his caliber to our lineup.”
In exchange for the 34-year-old Canadian, Florida is sending right wing Owen Tippett to the Flyers, as well as a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and a first-round pick in 2024. Tippet is the centerpiece of the trade: He played on the Panthers’ second line during the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, but has spent much of this season in the American Hockey League. AHL Charlotte has held him out since Thursday as Florida has tried to figure out a trade.
The Panthers are also getting centers Connor Bunnaman and German Rubtsov, and a 2024 fifth-round pick back in the trade.
The 2024 first-round pick Florida is sending to Philadelphia has a top-10 protection. If the Panthers’ pick falls in the top 10 of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Flyers will instead receive the Panthers’ 2025 first-round selection.
In the last year, the Florida has traded away first-round picks in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 to land forward Sam Reinhart, defenseman Ben Chiarot and Giroux, respectively. It’s an all-in move for general manager Bill Zito as he tries to win the first Cup in franchise history and the club’s first postseason series since 1996.
Giroux is in the final year of an eight-year contract, so this might just amount to being a rental, especially given the Panthers’ desire to extend All-Star left wing Jonathan Huberdeau this offseason. For Florida, it’s a risk worth taking: Excluding Giroux, the Panthers top eight scorers, and 12 of their top 13, are under contract through at least next season, meaning Florida should be in the middle of a multi-year window.
The forward, who has played his entire career with the Flyers and in seven All-Star Games, played his 1,000th game for Philadelphia on Thursday and the Flyers shut him down afterward, waiting to find a trade partner. Florida has been seeking out a forward to play on the wing next to star center Aleksander Barkov on its top line and Giroux, who plays both center and left wing, could be the answer.
Giroux, who was the Most Valuable Player of the 2022 NHL All-Star Game last month, has 18 goals and 24 assists in 57 games for last-place Philadelphia this season.
The Panthers had already been active ahead of the deadline before dealing for Giroux. On Wednesday, they traded away winger Frank Vatrano to the New York Rangers to clear cap space with bigger moves in mind. Later in the day, they sent a first-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens to add Chiarot and now they’ve made their biggest move yet, adding one of the league’s best forward to an already-loaded roster.
With Giroux in the fold, Florida has an embarrassment of riches at forward, with six different 20-goal scorers — Barkov, Huberdeau and fellow forwards Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaeghe — and now one more All-Star. The league’s highest-scoring offense should be getting even better.
The right wing spot on the Panthers’ top line has been one of their few relative weaknesses all year, a revolving door next to Barkov and Verhaeghe with interim coach Andrew Brunette trusting those two forwards can carry whomever they play alongside. If Giroux joins them on the first line, they won’t need to anymore.
This story was originally published March 19, 2022 at 6:39 PM.
