Lack of contract for Claude Giroux from Senators a 'red flag'

The Ottawa Senators welcomed a native son into their organization when they signed former Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux to a three-year contract in 2022. 

Giroux brought valuable leadership and a scoring touch to a mostly-young Senators squad, and the patience paid off with the club's first trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017 this spring before they bowed out against the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games. 

Giroux's contract is now set to expire soon, and so far, progress on a potential extension hasn't materialized quickly. 

In the mind of former NHL defenseman Jamie Baker, that could be considered a red flag, as he explained while appearing as a guest on TSN 1200 Ottawa. 

"All the potential transactions that you have, you'd think this one would be easier to get completed," Baker said. "It depends on what Giroux is looking for, if he's looking for multi-year. But I'm hearing he could be looking only for one year, which would be simple to come about a number."

While Baker said he figured that a contract would have been hammered out by now, he's not overly worried about the prospects of Giroux leaving Ottawa, considering the back-and-forth process that is normal for new contract negotiations. 

"I thought they would have had something by now," he said. "Is there a little bit of a red flag? Yes. Am I concerned? No. In negotiations, there's always give and take and you have to go back and forth."

The 37-year-old Giroux scored 15 goals with 35 assists in the 2024-25 NHL season, his third in Ottawa.