Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours from the crew at Last Word on Hockey. First, we’d like to wish everyone a very happy Canada Day. Second, welcome to free agent frenzy. The day when teams will throw a ton of money around trying to improve their rosters for the upcoming season. While history will show the Montreal Canadiens aren’t a team that will overpay, they are a team that’s going to dig into the free agent market early to improve their team. This edition of NHL Rumours focuses on their interest in unrestricted free agent Claude Giroux.
All NHL rumours come from their original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours: Canadiens Looking to Add Former Senator to Their Roster
Rumour: According to Bruce Garrioch of the “Ottawa Citizen“, the Montreal Canadiens are amongst the teams looking to acquire the services of Claude Giroux this offseason.
Analysis: After Pierre LeBrun confirmed that Giroux would be testing the open market, Garrioch listed the Canadiens and Florida Panthers as two teams who would be interested in Giroux. The Canadiens have been tied to Giroux multiple times throughout his career, and now might be the time when they finally acquire him.
Despite being at the end of his career, Giroux is still a very effective player. In 82 games last season, Giroux scored 14 goals and added 35 assists for 49 points. Giroux is also one of the best players in the league on the draw, boasting a 63.1% success rate last season and a 56.6% rating over his career. Something the Canadiens could certainly use.
Giroux Would be a Perfect Fit for the Canadiens
It’s no secret that the Canadiens are in the market for a number two centreman to play behind Nick Suzuki. It was a glaring hole that really was exposed during their Stanley Cup run this past season. Getting someone to play with Ivan Demidov is the number one need this offseason, and Claude Giroux would be the perfect option.
At this stage in his career, the Canadiens won’t need to overspend or hand out a long-term contract to Giroux. Which is a major benefit, because he provides the perfect stop-gap for prospect Michael Hage to continue his development. Hage can then take over for Giroux once he’s ready. It also allows the Canadiens to keep all their assets intact, so they can use that to improve other areas, such as a top-six scoring winger or a right-shot defenceman.
The other bonus with Giroux is that even though the Canadiens would be looking to acquire him as a centre, he can also play the wing. So if the Canadiens do see an opportunity to add another centreman, or Michael Hage comes to Montreal sooner than expected, Giroux can easily shift to the wing without missing a beat offensively. He’ll still be able to produce at the same rate while also being available to take those important faceoffs.
Giroux’s ability to kill penalties is also another major reason the Canadiens would like to acquire the veteran centre. The Canadiens ranked 18th in the league last season on the penalty kill with a 78.2% kill rate. Giroux would certainly help improve these numbers for the Canadiens, with his outstanding positioning and hockey IQ to go along with the aforementioned ability to gain possession on the draw.
Canadiens Will Be Aggressive This Offseason
There will be no shortage of suitors looking to acquire the services of Giroux; however, one thing is certain: the Canadiens will be aggressive this offseason. Their run to the Eastern Conference Final showed where this team stands amongst the rest of the league. Being the youngest team in the league, they’re much further ahead than anyone could have anticipated. Adding a player of Claude Giroux’s stature will certainly improve their roster and push them to take the next step. They’ll finally have the chance to rewrite the mistake they made 20 years ago, when they drafted David Fischer 21st overall instead of taking Giroux, who went to the Flyers two picks later.
Main Photo: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
