The Ottawa Senators just keep winning.
At the NHL Draft last week, the Sens began the offseason by acquiring forward Alex DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Then, shortly before free agency began, Ottawa moved goaltender Matt Murray to the Toronto Maple Leafs to then add Cam Talbot from the Minnesota Wild to become the team’s new starter.
Fast forward to today’s opening hours of free agency, the Senators are once again making big moves. This time, the team went out and signed former Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux as it attempts to make some waves in the Eastern Conference.
The Senators have signed Claude Giroux.
The deal between Giroux and the Sens is three years and is worth $6.5 million per season. The 34-year-old forward has played over 1,000 games in his NHL career, compiling 923 points in the process.
Last year, a season that he split between the Flyers and Florida Panthers, Giroux put up 65 points (21 goals and 44 assists) in 75 games played. 23 of those points came in 18 games with the Cats following the trade.
This is a great move for the Senators, as it not only adds a veteran presence to a relatively young locker room, but it also brings in an all-star player that has plenty still to give in terms of production on the ice.
Ottawa has done a terrific job over the last several years to assemble a star-studded core of young players. Now, they’re well-positioned to begin building around that group.
This offseason, between the vast number of talented, available players and the amount of cap space that the Sens are working with, is a great opportunity to take that step forward.
The Senators have not been a successful franchise since they reached the Eastern Conference Final in 2017, but the tide is turning in Ottawa.
Several key players, most recently Giroux, have been added to the Senators’ roster since the offseason began, and with big names still on the board, there is plenty of time for this team to make an even bigger splash.