Commend the captain, Giroux doesn't have just his future in mind with trade call

VOORHEES, N.J. — Claude Giroux cares deeply about the Flyers.

He cares about the players that came before him, the ones that have played alongside him and those that will come after him.

A difficult decision is ahead for Giroux's future but also the Flyers' future. Deep down, what's next here matters to the 34-year-old captain, even if it may not include him.

The reality of an all-time great Flyer closing in on his final Philadelphia chapter felt prevalent Wednesday.

Giroux, amid the Flyers' injury-ravaged, 15-24-9 state, met with the media as the March 21 trade deadline looms about a month and a week away. Giroux is playing at a high level in the final year of an eight-year, $66.2 million contract and still looking for a Stanley Cup. His deal has a full no-move clause. General manager Chuck Fletcher is set to "aggressively retool" the Flyers, a byproduct of a second straight season falling well short of expectations.

A trade could theoretically behoove both parties in their next chapters, a realization that may be setting in through the losses and frustration.

For now, though, Giroux's immediate focus is on the Flyers. After all, before the trading cutoff, the club still has 14 games, one of which will be Giroux's 1,000th of his career, just four days prior to deadline day.

"To be honest, I haven't talked to Chuck yet about any of this," Giroux said. "I'm sure we will at one point. But right now, I'm committed to this team, start winning some hockey games and keep working as a team here."

Fletcher has been in communication with Giroux's representation Pat Brisson, one of the premier agents in the game. That communication will only continue. As Fletcher said last month, ultimately, "it’ll be Claude’s decision."

And, ultimately, Fletcher would do right by his captain if Giroux waives his no-move clause. The Flyers and Giroux hold each in high regard.

"The organization here, it's been great for me for the last 14 years," Giroux said. "They treated me the right way, I had a chance to play with a lot of great players, had great coaches. It's an honor to have been a Flyer this long."

Giroux is the city's longest-tenured active athlete, going back to 2008 before the Phillies won the World Series that fall. He's second on the Flyers' all-time lists in points (895), assists (606) and games played (988), trailing only franchise icon Bob Clarke in those categories.

He has shown impressive durability and longevity. He had a 102-point season at age 30 and has been the Flyers' best player this season. Since 2010-11, Giroux ranks fourth in the NHL in both points (821) and games (862). However, in that 12-year span, the Flyers have won only three playoff series.

"Whether it's on the ice, off the ice, comes to even small stuff, he's the guy that hates losing," Ivan Provorov said Wednesday. "That's our mentality. Hopefully everyone on this team is going to be able to feel that, buy into that and live that. We'll get healthy and everyone gets on the same page and plays by that, we'll be able to win more games and get to the level where we want to get to.

"You play for your teammates. Whether it's someone that's in their first year playing their fifth, 10th game or it's someone like G playing in his 14th, 15th season with the Flyers, that's just how you should be as a teammate."

Following an active offseason by Fletcher, the Flyers' 2021-22 season suddenly derailed after a promising 6-2-2 start. The club has suffered two historic skids of 10 or more losses in a row and a staggering number of injuries to critical pieces. In Tuesday night's 5-4 overtime loss to the Penguins, the Flyers were missing 10 players. 

"I've never seen that many injuries," Giroux said. "When the season started, Chuck did some great moves in the summer, we had a good start to the season, everything was going great and then injuries started. It's been a tough couple of months."

When Giroux made his NHL debut with the Flyers, he was a 20-year-old kid. He now has a family with his wife Ryanne and their two sons Gavin and Palmer.

As Giroux mulls his future in Philadelphia, it's not just business.

It's family, too.

"There's a lot that comes into play and that's a big one for sure," Giroux said. "Like I said, I haven't had a chance to talk to Chuck. Obviously we have a lot of things to talk about — what's best for the Flyers' organization, what's best for me and we'll just go from there."

Everyone can respect that lead.

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