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The Ottawa Senators, thanks to an influx of young talent and established veterans like Claude Giroux, finally returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since their unexpected run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017.
While it was ultimately a short-lived stay in the postseason, dropping a four-game-to-two series decision against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Senators are hoping the experience will only serve as fuel to intensify their hunger for success and make a deeper run next season.
One particular member of the club who very well may or may not not be back with the team for next season is veteran Claude Giroux, who signed a three-year contract with the team during the offseason of 2022 to be part of a rebuilding club looking to start taking a considerable leap forward.
They missed the postseason in each of his first two seasons with the Senators before making it back this year. While he could decide to run it back with the Senators should they offer to extend the relationship between the two sides, he could also look to make the most of whatever time he has left in the NHL to try and win an elusive Stanley Cup.
What are the best options for Giroux to consider this offseason about where to continue his NHL playing career?
Run it back with the Senators
There's a reason why Giroux decided to return to his native province of Ontario to play for the Senators — he wanted to play closer to his hometown of Hearst. And at 37 years old with a growing family, he may decide it's best not to uproot them again as he did from Philadelphia in 2022 to Florida, and then again to the Ottawa suburbs.
Giroux also made it no secret that he loves playing for the Senators and that the 2024-25 season was the most fun that he'd had in years, via Sportsnet.
“It’s still early. I haven’t given it any thoughts,” Giroux said. “I haven’t really talked to (general manager) Steve (Staios) yet. I love the players, the fans, the city. This year is the most fun I’ve had in a few years.”
“I feel like I have a lot left in the tank. I'm loving hockey right now,” Giroux continued. “I want to play. Feel like I can be an impact player.”
Additionally, Senators general manager Steve Staios said that he loved having Giroux on the team.
“We love (Giroux). We want to have him back,” he said.
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The Senators have nearly $17 million worth of cap space and several additional pending free agents of their own to sign. In order to keep Giroux, he'd likely have to agree to a shorter-term deal, perhaps one to two years, at a reduced cap hit than the $6.5 million per season he'd made in each of the last three campaigns.
Dallas Stars
The Stars were recently eliminated from the Western Conference Final for the third consecutive season, and they have multiple pending free agents on their team that also may not be back. The likes of Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund, and Evgenii Dadonov all could potentially be playing elsewhere next season.
For Giroux, a short-term contract offer from the Stars would be a no-brainer. He's shown that he's still productive with 15 goals and 35 assists in 81 games played, and the juices will still be burning for him after experiencing his first playoff hockey in three seasons.
A former captain of the Philadelphia Flyers, Giroux would also offer a leadership role that could help be filled with the potential departures of the aforementioned names on the Stars roster in free agency.
Montreal Canadiens
While it would be an interesting choice for Claude Giroux to decide to join a top Atlantic Division competitor and rival of the Senators, the Montreal Canadiens could present an intriguing opportunity for him.
For one thing, like Ottawa, they're a young club on the rise that also returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in the last several years. They also have exciting talent with players like Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and team captain Nick Suzuki that are only going to get better in time and could very well have the Habs as a force in the Atlantic Division in short order.
Giroux could decide that the Canadiens are closer to making serious noise in the postseason than the Senators are, and given that Montreal isn't far away from Ottawa, it wouldn't be that difficult on his family.
