Discussions between the Ottawa Senators and Claude Giroux about to heat up

Claude Giroux of the Ottawa Senators celebrates his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during Game 3. Photo by Getty Images /Getty ImagesArticle content

Discussions to get veteran forward Claude Giroux under a new contract with the Ottawa Senators are expected to intensify in the next week.

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Steve Staios, Ottawa’s president of hockey operations and general manager, will go to Buffalo on Sunday for the National Hockey League Combine that will formally get underway Monday as the 32 teams begin interviews with prospects.

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Postmedia reported May 15 that the Senators already have held informal contract talks with Giroux’s Los Angeles-based agent Pat Brisson. The expectation is that the two sides will have face-to-face discussions sometime next week to try to get an agreement in place.

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The 37-year-old Giroux is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but the two sides have already found common ground in talks because he wants to stay with the club and the Senators have expressed interest in keeping him.

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Now, the two sides have to see if they can get this piece of business out of the way so that Giroux can enjoy his summer and Staios can turn his focus to trying to help the Senators roster improve after the club made the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

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Postmedia has spoken with several league executives since the Senators were eliminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and all agree that Giroux’s next deal should have a base salary in the $3 million range plus achievable bonuses that could allow him to make between $4.5-to-$5 million.

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Those league executives also predicted that the Senators likely will get a deal done because both sides are committed to making it happen, and it makes sense for Giroux to stay in Ottawa.

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The biggest decision for Staios, and the Senators, is the term. Should it be a one or two-year deal? This is a contract for an over 35-year-old, which means it won’t offer any cap relief if Giroux’s game falls off.

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“I’d prefer to pay him on a one year contract because those wheels are going to fall off,” a league executive, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Postmedia on Friday. “They didn’t last year, they did a little bit at the end, but I thought he had a pretty good year.”

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The issue the Senators are facing is the level of interest Giroux would get if he did get to the market on July 1. League executives believe the Montreal Canadiens would be among several teams that would make a pitch.