Flyers’ GM Fletcher appears to give up on Claude Giroux staying in Philly as bad news pile up!

All eyes are on Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux, who is playing out the last season of his eight-year, $66.2 million contract and reportedly waiting out to talk with management about a contract extension.

There has been trade chatter in the past weeks as fans and pundits are wondering if Giroux will leave the only team he’s ever played for… Giroux has been a lifelong member of the Flyers since being drafted in the 1st round (22nd overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, having played all 979 of the NHL games in his career with that franchise, but for perhaps the first time in his tenure with the Flyers there is serious chatter around whether or not he will even finish the season in a Flyers uniform.

While last week it was reported that both Giroux and the Flyers were waiting to get closer to the trade deadline to make a decision, on Wednesday during his press conference, GM Chuck Fletcher appeared to give up on the idea of keeping his captain in Philly, stating that the decision was solely in the hands of Giroux.

“It will be Claude’s decision,” as to whether Claude Giroux is moved at the deadline.

Fletcher is dealing with a disastrous season, with the Flyers extending their losing streak to a franchise-worst 13 games last night. It sounds like a rebuild will commence and maybe the GM already his captain wants no part of it…

As far as the deadline itself: “We’re looking to aggressively retool here. Everything is on the table.”

Giroux himself has failed to capture a Stanley Cup during his NHL career and could potentially be open to the idea of moving to a contending team at the deadline for a chance at the Cup at this stage of his career. Whether or not that matters more to him than spending his entire career as a member of the Flyers remains to be seen. He is expected to meet with his agent Pat Brisson during the All-Star Game weekend, per Pierre LeBrun: 

To make things worse in Philadelphia, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Face-Off, Fletcher also announced that both Ryan Ellis and Sean Couturier may require surgeries that end their seasons. His recommendation to medical staff, given where they are in the standings, is to “get them right for next year.”

“We’ve got a long road ahead of us.”

Especially if they go down a new route without Giroux…