Is There Reason to Worry About Claude Giroux in the Playoffs?

By Matt Mastrogiovanni, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 

The simple answer: No. 

There are many storylines to pay attention to during the upcoming Flyers versus Montreal Canadiens series. However, Claude Giroux isn't necessarily one of them.

First off, the Flyers are once again a deep team with scoring coming from up, down, and all around the roster. The past three Round Robin games have been prime examples of the team's secondary scoring ability. Players like Scott Laughton, Nate Thompson, Joel Farabee, and Phil Myers all contributed to the scoring in the first of the postseason games.

Also, as he was doing before the NHL's pause, Kevin Hayes has continued his play-making magic. 

Arguably, the current Philadelphia roster is the most dangerous it's been in almost a decade. Since then, Giroux has seen a number of players come and go. With a revolving door of players on top of not-yet-ready prospects, the veteran captain hasn't always had the scoring help he does now.

The Flyers' depth this season has thus far proved that without Giroux scoring, the team can still get the job done.

Even without help, Giroux has also been able to produce on his own when it comes to the postseason.

In 72 playoff games, the tenured Flyer has posted 65 points, perhaps most memorably the game-winning goal in 2010's Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.  Also, who can forget the incredible opening shifts from him against the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2012? 

Throughout the years, it's been evident that the captain can step up and produce when it counts most for his team.

Finally, Giroux has been contributing to the Flyers' success in subtle ways all season long, especially in face-offs.

This past regular season, he registered a 59.0% face-off win percentage landing him the fifth spot out of all players in the NHL. Throughout the Round Robin, he also won the majority of his face-offs against the Eastern Conference's best.

Time on ice is another quiet contribution to the Flyer's success as well. Giroux has been eating up the minutes for his squad this season.

Before the league pause, the captain was averaging 18 minutes and 59 seconds per game. His average time on ice landed him the number two spot on the Flyers just behind Selke Trophy candidate Sean Couturier.

Overall, the Philadelphia faithful have little-to-no reason to worry about Giroux. He's proven his worth time and again for the Flyers through many different avenues.

"G is the captain of our team. He's a leader. He loves Philly. He wants this team to do well," head coach Alain Vigneault said on Tuesday. "He wants his legacy to be a positive one. He's done everything to help us take the steps to where we are." 

Vigneault's thoughts should ring true through the minds of all Flyers fans, especially as the real games begin with the first round underway.