Claude Giroux Situation in Ottawa Reaching a Tipping Point

Claude Giroux is likely heading to the open market, as talks with the Ottawa Senators continue

For weeks now, we've been hearing that veteran Claude Giroux, a pending unrestricted free agent, and the Ottawa Senators, have mutual interest in hammering out a deal to keep him in Canada's capital. But we learned last week that there's still "a bridge to gap" in contract talks, and now we hear from Senators analyst Brent Wallace, speaking with insider Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, that it's more likely that Giroux will be hitting the open market.

We thought that there would be something done already. They’re talking about negotiations... I’m hearing (Giroux) wants just a one-year deal. I just don’t know where it is. Now, as we get two weeks here to free agency, I think he’s going to go to market.

Seravalli was equally perplexed about what the holdup is for the Senators and Giroux. "If he wants just a one-year deal, can I ask a stupid question? How hard could this possibly be to solve if you’re the Ottawa Senators?"

Giroux, 37, played an important role for the Sens this past season, leading the entire NHL in faceoff win percentage at 61.5%, while adding 50 points in the regular season, and followed that up with a strong playoff series for Ottawa, registering five points in six games.

Why has Claude Giroux not re-signed with Ottawa Senators yet?

The seven-time All-Star is coming off a three-year, $19.5 million contract ($6.5M AAV) as he gets set for his 19th NHL season in the fall. Insider Bruce Garrioch has indicated that the Sens would like him to accept a pay cut of some sort, leading to the aforementioned 'bridge to gap'.