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After spending his entire career with the Philadelphia Flyers to this point, it seems as though Claude Giroux's time with the organization may be coming to an end.
With the Flyers in the midst of a terribly disappointing season and Giroux on an expiring contract, all signs point towards a split with their captain. Below, we take a look at why moving Giroux to kickstart a rebuild is the Flyers' ideal play at this point.
Why the Flyers should trade Claude Giroux
3. Giroux's Age and Contract Status
The most obvious reason to move Giroux is that he's now 34 years old and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. With the Flyers in no position to compete and unlikely to rebound to be in contention next year, the Flyers can't miss out on the opportunity to acquire future assets. Giroux's value is still very high – he's scored 17 goals and 39 points in 49 games this season, a pace of 28 goals and 65 points per 82 games. Philadelphia could surely get back some key picks and prospects to help for the future, should they opt to move Giroux.
Obviously, Giroux holds the power here with his full no-movement clause. If he doesn't want to be moved, he's staying put. That said, the possibility of him leaving in free agency this offseason could certainly become a reality anyways. You have to imagine Giroux could consider heading elsewhere to get a few shots at a Stanley Cup with a more competitive team.
Even if Giroux was brought back though, he's old enough that he won't be part of the long-term plan and the Flyers simply don't have enough talent around him to contend in the near future. He's by far Philadelphia's biggest trade chip and cashing in on his value is the right move.
2. Flyers' lack of top young talent
The reality is that especially up front, the Flyers are in need of legitimate top young talent. Their top two scorers by far, in both goals and points, are Giroux and Cam Atkinson (who's turning 33 years old this year). When it comes to young talent, Joel Farabee looks to be a lock as a long-term top-six forward and Travis Konecny is just two years removed from a 76-point pace but after that, there's a real lack of young, high-ceiling forwards. Sean Couturier is a great top-six center but he's now close to 30 years old (with Kevin Hayes nearly 30 years old as well) and while Philadelphia certainly has solid depth pieces in the likes of Scott Laughton and Oskar Lindblom, there's a lack of star power.
On the blue line, take out Justin Braun and Rasmus Ristolainen and you get down to only Travis Sanheim and Ivan Provorov as top defenders. Ryan Ellis is excellent, but his health is a huge concern and we have no idea how often he'll actually be in the lineup – plus he's now into his 30s. Then in goal, Carter Hart will be Philadelphia's long-term starter but at 23 years old, he'll still need some time before hitting his prime.
Prospects like Cam York and Tyson Foerster should be key pieces down the road, while the likes of Morgan Frost and Isaac Ratcliffe will only get better. The point is though, the Flyers don't have a strong enough core of top talent to compete right now. While there are good young pieces on the roster, it makes more sense to sell now and start building around some of those pieces for a greater shot at long-term success.
1. The organization needs a direction
When you look at the Eastern Conference, the Flyers are a bit lost. They're not one of the top eight teams, who are far ahead of all other competitors in the Conference. Even if the Flyers add pieces to their current roster in order to contend in the coming years, does anyone really see them having a chance against the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes or others anytime soon? Besides, they made those major moves last offseason in order to compete now and we've seen the results.
On the other hand, many teams near the bottom have already committed to a rebuild or are seeing the positive effects of kickstarting one years ago. The likes of the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators have developed some great young talent who are already finding NHL success and if the Flyers don't act one way or the other, they're going to end up left in the dust.
The Flyers haven't had a ton of success in nearly a decade, reaching the postseason just four times over the last nine years and advancing to the second round only once in that stretch. They've been mediocre and unless major moves are made to pick a direction and build, their mediocre results are unlikely to change.
Trading Giroux and beginning a rebuild don't necessarily have to be tied together, but they are heavily linked. The Flyers could opt to hold onto Giroux with the intention of re-signing him and starting a smaller sell-off. On the other hand, they could trade Giroux and consider it as more of an isolated move.
That said, dealing Giroux as the first major move to commit to a teardown makes the most sense. Philadelphia needs to take a bit of time and be willing to sacrifice any small success in the short-term, in order to have a shot at sustained, long-term success. Dealing Giroux within the next couple of weeks should be the first step of that plan.
