Maple Leafs Among 4 Teams Showing Interest In Claude Giroux on Day 1 of Free Agency
The belief was the Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs were among the teams that may have shown interest in Giroux on the first day of free agency.
The attraction of the Flyers makes a ton of sense, of course, as Giroux was a six-time All-Star in his 11 seasons in Philly. He was the Flyers' first-round pick, 22nd overall, in the 2006 NHL Draft.
In fact, writes Garrioch, current Flyers GM Daniel Briere, who played with Giroux in Philadelphia, confirmed on Wednesday that the two sides had held talks.
The Avalanche are already strong down the middle, but could easily bump Nic Roy down to the fourth line, or to the wing, to make room for Giroux.
The Leafs made a number of middle to bottom-six center acquisitions on Wednesday afternoon, including Colton Sissons and Teddy Blueger, while other additions like Jack Roslovic and Nick Paul can also line up at the dot. So their interest may have waned since then.
As for the Habs, Giroux's hockey IQ, versatility and experience would seem to be qualities they're looking to add in another middle-six center/forward, but one report throws some cold water on the possibility of a Giroux landing in Montreal.
I know people are wondering about it, but I'm not expecting a Claude Giroux signing in MTL.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) July 1, 2026
The 19-year veteran notched 14 goals and 49 points this past season in Ottawa in 82 games, with a plus/minus rating of +20, while skating an average of 16:18 per night. Giroux once again led the NHL in faceoff win percentage, at 63.1%.
