The NHL free agency is less than a week away, and one of the most intriguing names to follow is Florida Panthers veteran Claude Giroux, who is reportedly being eyed by the Edmonton Oilers as a potential add in the event Evander Kane departs the team, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic:
One of those teams, I’m told, is the Edmonton Oilers. In the event that the Oilers can’t re-sign Evander Kane, I was told over the weekend that the Oilers have internally discussed the merits of trying to sign Giroux. He has played primarily wing the last few years, but also remains a top faceoff guy and still obviously impactful offensively.
Giroux's best days are behind him, but he still has plenty of gas left in the tank, as evidenced by his strong stint in the 2021-22 NHL season with the Florida Panthers. After getting traded by the Philadelphia Flyers in March, Giroux posted 23 points in 18 games with the Panthers. He also finished second on the team in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs with eight points in 10 games (three goals and five assists).
In a sense, Evander Kane had the same arc as Giroux last season. Like Giroux, Kane found a new home in Edmonton, albeit following a much more controversial tenure with the San Jose Sharks. Kane did not take a lot of time before he started to deliver the goods for the high-octane Oilers offense that was also led by no other than Connor McDavid.
Kane proved to be quite an asset for the Oilers' attack, while at the same time reviving his market value in time for the 2022 NHL free agency period, as he netted 22 goals along with 17 assists in just 42 games in Edmonton uniform. He was even better in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs where he exploded for 13 goals in 15 games. Playing with McDavid surely benefited Kane, but he's always shown his ability to find the back of the net on a consistent basis.
Losing Kane would be a significant hit for the Oilers, but if that could be mitigated if they could add Giroux.
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