- Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports the 38-year-old Senators veteran has decided he wants to play another NHL season
- Giroux said at his exit interview it was “too early” to answer, but if he came back it would be in Ottawa
- Read below for the video of Giroux’s end-of-season presser, his free agent picture, and what comes next
Claude Giroux isn’t done yet.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported Tuesday that the 38-year-old Senators veteran has decided to come back for another season after taking a few weeks to think it over.
“I was told Monday that the 38-year-old forward, an unrestricted free agent on July 1, has decided he wants to come back and play another season,” LeBrun wrote.
That’s a slight shift from where Giroux was when Carolina swept the Senators out of the first round. Asked at locker cleanout day if he wanted to play next year, Giroux said it was too early to answer and that he needed time to step back.
Watch his end-of-season media availability (Giroux’s segment starts at 23:55):
One thing was clear from that podium: if Giroux was going to keep playing, it had to be in Ottawa. He has lived in the area year-round and worn an “A” for the Senators since signing there in 2022.
Ottawa signed him to a one-year deal last summer worth up to $4.75 million, with a $2 million base plus playoff bonuses. He’ll probably need to take another team-friendly number, with the Senators projected to have just over $16 million in cap space heading into July 1.
Giroux played all 82 regular season games and finished sixth in team scoring with 14 goals and 35 assists. Carolina held him pointless in the four-game sweep.
The 19-year veteran enters free agency with 1,345 career games, 379 goals, 786 assists and 1,165 points across stops in Philadelphia, Florida and Ottawa. He turns 39 in January.
