Flyers Notes: Giroux Hasn’t Spoken to Fletcher Yet About Trade

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

Over the last couple days, there have been conflicting reports about where things stand with Claude Giroux and potential trade talks. 

One report from Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now stated that Giroux’s preferred destination via a trade was the Colorado Avalanche, and that Giroux had presented Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher with Colorado as his top destination with Minnesota and St. Louis as acceptable alternatives.

Another report from Michael Russo of the Athletic debunked that.

Giroux spoke to the media after practice on Wednesday and provided some clarity on where things stand.

“To be honest, I haven’t talked to Chuck yet about any of this,” Giroux said. “I’m sure we will at one point. Right now, I’m committed to this team and to start winning some hockey games.

“The organization here has been great to me for the last 14 years. They treated me the right way. I had the chance to play with a lot of great players and had great coaches. It’s an honor to have been a Flyer this long.”

There is still over a month to go until the March 21 trade deadline, so there really shouldn’t be anything surprising here. Fletcher confirmed that he’s in touch with Giroux’s agent, Pat Brisson, regularly. It was also reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun that Brisson has been granted permission to start exploring potential trade destinations for Giroux, to create the shortlist that they will present to Fletcher to get the ball rolling on a deal.

“There’s a lot that comes into play. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Chuck. Obviously we have a lot of things to talk about. What’s best for the Flyers organization? What’s best for me? We’ll just go from there.”

This is really not the time for trades to typically take place. Deadlines breed action, and as it gets closer, the package in return could become more substantial and to the Flyers liking. It also gives Giroux a chance to have a proper sendoff. He’s currently at 988 career games played and 895 career points. That puts two milestones in front of him in the next few weeks.

If Giroux reaches 1,000 games while still with the Flyers, he would be just the second player in franchise history to achieve that.

“I know it’s kind of cheesy, but when you put the Flyers jersey on, you’ve got to wear it with pride. You’ve got to go out there and do your job and do everything you can to get a win every night.”

There may not be many nights for Giroux to put on the Orange and Black. While he may have said the conversation with Fletcher is still to come, his tone and demeanor was that of a player knowing that his career is at a crossroads. His best chance of winning is not in Philadelphia. His final weeks as a Flyer are upon us.

For now, the Flyers have no choice but to let this move at Giroux’s pace. It’s too soon to make a move if you want to maximize the return on a deal. Neither Giroux nor the Flyers are going to come across as desperate. Giroux’s not going to vehemently state he wants out and the Flyers are going to make clear that this will be Giroux’s decision to make when he’s ready to make it. All sides are aware of the situation.