Claude Giroux rumors are heating up again, and this time the Edmonton Oilers are squarely in the mix.
Don Blake posted Thursday that he's hearing from sources the Oilers landing Giroux "will happen," though he stopped short of calling it done.
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That kind of hedge usually means smoke, not fire. But smoke around a name like Giroux tends to spread fast.
Karman Gill added more fuel, reporting that Oilers Now voice Bob Stauffer said it wouldn't surprise him if Edmonton got in on Giroux. Gill also noted Philadelphia and Ottawa will likely be in the mix too.
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That's three teams circling one 38-year-old winger. Not bad for a player some assumed was winding down.
Giroux just finished the season with Ottawa posting 49 points in 82 games, including 35 assists, and he closed with a plus-20 rating.
His cap hit sits at just $2,000,000. In today's market, that's a rounding error for a player who can still run a power play.
Which raises the obvious question. Why would Edmonton, already carrying two of the richest deals in hockey, wade into a bidding war for a rental-priced veteran?
Leon Draisaitl counts $14,000,000 against Edmonton's cap. Connor McDavid sits right behind him at $12,500,000. That's not a typo, that's just Thursday in Edmonton.
Why Stan Bowman's math actually makes this work
Squeezing Giroux's $2,000,000 hit onto a cap sheet already anchored by two superstar contracts sounds like fitting a third chef into a kitchen where the stove is already maxed out. It's tight, but not impossible.
Oilers GM Stan Bowman has shown he'll get creative when a bottom-six or middle-six upgrade is cheap enough to justify the paperwork.
Edmonton finished the year 41-30-11 for 93 points, good enough to stay relevant in the Pacific Division but not good enough to feel finished with the roster.
Ottawa isn't just going to let this play out quietly either. The Senators posted 99 points this season under head coach Travis Green, and Giroux has been a fixture in that locker room.
Philadelphia brings its own pitch too, with Rick Tocchet and GM Daniel Briere running a Flyers team that finished at 98 points and knows exactly what Giroux still brings on a wing.
So does Edmonton actually pull this off, or does Stauffer's radio comment turn into nothing more than offseason noise? Right now, nobody's saying no.
Should the Oilers go all in and sign Claude Giroux this summer?
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