If you were hoping Claude Giroux would leave the Ottawa Senators in NHL free agency and return to the Philadelphia Flyers, you'll have to wait at least one more season.
Giroux, 37, extended his stay with his hometown Senators Sunday, signing a one-year, $2 million contract worth up to $4 million with $2.75 million in earnable performance bonuses.
Per PuckPedia, the performance bonuses are as follows:
For playing 20, 30, and 50 games, Giroux will earn $250k at each threshold; $250k for reaching the playoffs and playing 50 games, $500k for the Senators winning Round 1, $250k for winning Round 2, $500k for winning Round 3, and another $500k for winning the Stanley Cup.
All of Giroux's playoff bonuses hinge on him playing in at least 50% of their postseason games.
Additionally, Giroux has a full no-movement clause, so any trade, including one to the Flyers for whatever reason, must run through him.
Many Flyers fans were holding out on the pipe dream that would've saw Giroux return 'home' to Philadelphia this summer, given the team's whopping $15 million in cap space and a gaping hole at the center position.
Plus, he's already played with a number of current Flyers, as we all know, including the likes of Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, and Travis Sanheim.
Giroux would be a good mentor for youngsters like Matvei Michkov, Porter Martone, Trevor Zegras, and Jack Nesbitt, but that baton was passed a long time ago.
In theory, it's still possible in the future going forward, but reports had indicated the former Flyers captain had no desire of playing for any other team.
And, given Giroux's rapidly advancing age and having three young kids, would it make sense to leave Ottawa and play across the border for another year?
A farewell tour would be a sweet story, to be clear, but the odds of that happening just took a major hit.
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