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While rumors have connected center Claude Giroux to numerous teams throughout the summer, it could be some time before the 38 year old makes his decision.
That hesitation is motivated by the 2026-27 season potentially being the last of Girouxs playing career per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.
A long haul is nearing its end for the 19-year pro.
Giroux has continued to offer a special level of reliability through his late career.
He appeared in all but one game over the course of his four years with the Ottawa Senators a run that began in Girouxs age-35 season.
Over that span, Giroux has also led the Senators in faceoff percentage (59.9 percent) and averaged 21 goals and 61 points per season.
He has been a golden lineup piece, capable of making an impact whether hes deployed at his natural center position or on the wings.
Giroux has begun to show signs of age, though.
He averaged just 16:18 this season, a new career-low down two minutes from his 18:12 last season.
His role on both special teams where Giroux has long found an extra gear also continued a gradual decline that began in the 2024-25 season.
Despite the onset of retirement, Giroux should still provide tremendous value to his next club.
He led all Senators in goal-differential (+14) and ranked fifth on the teams offense in expected-goals percentage (56.8 percent) per HockeyStats.
The veteran center also produced the best faceoff percentage of his career in the 2025-26 season, notching a 63.1 win rate on 799 faceoffs.
The Senators could certainly continue to benefit from Girouxs presence.
His ability to rotate through the top-six supported Dylan Cozens and Shane Pinto as they found their footing down the middle.
But Ottawa could be priced out of returning the future Hall-of-Fame challenger, with just $5.045MM in projected cap space per PuckPedia.
Giroux is expected to sign an inexpensive, $2.5MM contract per CapWages and AFP Analytics but could quickly see his price grow on an open market devoid of center talent.
Other teams interested in Girouxs services include the Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Giroux spent the first 15 years of his NHL career in Philadelphia after being drafted by the club with the 22nd-overall pick in 2006.
He was a franchise pillar who reached 900 points in 1,000 games before a move in 2022.
Giroux could be enticed to close his career in the same place it began.
He could also be motivated by Torontos recent roster shakeup and see upside in joining forces with Auston Matthews and John Tavares in a bona fide center role.
It seems Giroux will have plenty of options to decide how he wants to close out his career.
He has won Gold Medals at the World Championship, World Cup, and World Junior Championship but hasnt crested the heights of the NHL, despite leading Philadelphia to Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.
Even with a barren trophy cabinet, Girouxs nine years captaining the Flyers and year-over-year reliability could be enough to pull together a thin case for Hall Of Fame recognition especially if he can find one more gear before hanging up the skates.
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