Could Move to Wing Rekindle Giroux’s Scoring Flame?

(Kevin Durso/Sports Talk Philly)

By Matt Mastrogiovanni, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 

As the Flyers training camp and preseason progresses, a lot of storylines have played out. One of the most notable things to come out of the early stages of the new season is the decision to try captain Claude Giroux at the left wing position.

Initially, Giroux was drafted as a right winger. The captain spent much of his early career on the wing before transitioning to a center during the 2009-10 campaign.

The switch seemed to benefit Giroux early, but in recent seasons his stats have dropped off. Last season saw the captain score just 14 goals — a career low.

Now, Philadelphia's coaching staff could be onto something with a new spot for Giroux.

Playing on the off-wing has commonly been a strength for Giroux. Many times, he's used on the left face-off circle as part of the Flyers top power play unit. Some evidence of that success can be seen in the following examples.

Aside from being able to fire off those beautiful one-timers, Giroux's switch to the off-wing could give him better looks for shots and playmaking. Being a right-handed left winger opens up a lot of options for the captain.

For one, he can feed the puck back to the point giving the defenseman a chance to fire a puck from the blue line. There's also opportunity to throw passes to either the center for a quick shot or look cross-ice for the opposite winger.

Putting Giroux on the left wing could only strengthen his ability to quarterback puck movement in the opposition's zone on even strength and special teams. 

If the Flyers decide to utilize Giroux as a winger, then the question remains as to who his linemates would be. Head coach Dave Hakstol has been trying Sean Couturier at center along with Jake Voracek on the opposite wing.

Couturier is a fine center, but is he top-line material? Of course, there are other options among the plethora of centermen on the roster to try in the role, including Valtteri Filppula, newcomer Jori Lehtera or even rookie Nolan Patrick. If the whole experiment seems to be productive, then Hakstol will have some thinking to do regarding that decision.

In the end, the whole experiment could prove to be a failure. On the other hand, if things do work with Giroux on the wing, then fans could see his scoring rise again. 

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