The Florida Panthers have secured one of the most sought-after players as the trade deadline nears on Saturday after they landed forward Claude Giroux from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Prospects German Rubtsov and Connor Bunnaman, the Flyers’ first (22nd) and fourth (109th overall) picks respectively in 2016, accompany Giroux to Florida, as do a fifth-round pick in 2024. The Flyers also retain 50% the striker’s salary.
In return, the Pennsylvania team receives a first-round pick from the Panthers in 2024, who no longer have those of 2022 and 2023, the latter having been traded to the Montreal Canadiens in the transaction involving Ben Chiarot on Wednesday. The Flyers also receive a 2023 third-round pick and prospect Owen Tippett.
The latter, a first-round pick (10th overall) in 2017, was never able to carve out a full-time position with the Panthers’ top lines. He has 33 points in 94 career games on the Bettman circuit. He also dominated in the American League this season, posting 18 points in 12 games with the Charlotte Checkers.
To return to Giroux, the Franco-Ontarian will put on the uniform of a team other than the Flyers for the very first time in his career, he who had been drafted by this organization with the 22nd turn of the 2006 auction. Giroux also played the 1000th game of his career on Thursday. He had been left out during his team’s game on Friday against the Ottawa Senators.
Giroux has 900 points since the start of his career, including 42 in 57 games this season. In Florida, he will join a team that already has several offensive elements, including Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov.