SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ M2 D5
BY DAN GELSTONphiladelphia — The Philadelphia Flyers wel-
comed back captain and freshly minted A ll-Star
Game MVP C laude Giroux by clubbing their sticks
on the ice to rhythmic sounds of “MVP! MVP!”
until he skated to the middle of the team stretch.
The Flyers had already warmed up their vocal
cords for the moment inside the locker room with
“MVP!” chants before Tuesday’s video meeting at
practice.
The Flyers still admire the center who remains,
at 34, one of the top players in the league.
“Since I got here this morning, they made me
feel pretty special,” Giroux said. “It’s been fun.”
Even as the Flyers scuffle at the bottom of the
standings, Giroux continues to shine, and the hat
trick he recorded in last weekend’s All-Star Game
was just one more showcase moment for him as
the March 21 trade deadline draws closer.
Giroux’s future in Philadelphia is complicated:
He would have to waive his no-movement clause as
he plays out the final months of his eight-year,
$66.2 million c ontract, and the Flyers could surely
get prospects or a first-round pick in return.
His salary this season is only $5 million, which
would make him easier for smaller-market teams
to take on. The Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames,
Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche are
among the playoff contenders that could be in the
mix for the all-star.
He would become an unrestricted free agent at
the end of the season.“He’s clearly not done,” Flyers interim coach
Mike Yeo said. “He’s a determined player and
performing at a very high level.”
Giroux’s 15 goals and 35 points are both second
behind Cam Atkinson on the Flyers, and the
former first-round pick — who made his debut in
2008 — continues to shoot near the top of most of
the franchise’s major career offensive records.
“I think we have to recognize what we’re dealing
with here,” Flyers General Manager Chuck Fletch-
er said. “He’s a franchise icon — his jersey’s going to
be in the rafters. To me, he’s a Hall of Fame player.”
Fletcher and Giroux’s agent, Pat Brisson, met
recently, and they speak several times a month
about the all-star’s fate.
“It’ll be Claude’s decision,” Fletcher said.
Giroux was a star on the rise when he helped
lead the Flyers to the Stanley Cup finals in 2010. He
has finished as high as fourth in MVP voting, when
he finished second in the league in points in
2017-18.
But it’s been a lot of lean years since then, none
as bad as this one. Philadelphia (15-24-8) lost a
franchise-record 13 straight games earlier this
season, and it has only 38 points after Saturday’s
road loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
The Flyers are about to miss the playoffs in
consecutive years for the first time since a string of
five straight absences from 1990 to 1994.
“It looks like it’s going to be almost impossible,”
Giroux said.
The Flyers tapped one of Giroux’s former team-
mates Tuesday to try to steady the franchise.Danny Briere, who spent six seasons with the
Flyers and had 30 points in that 2010 run, was
named special assistant to the general manager.
As the losses mount, Giroux has downplayed his
impending decision and declined to discuss what
could make him give the Flyers a list of teams he
would consider as a potential trade destination.
“I’m not going to think about this right now,”
Giroux said at the All-Star Game. “Just enjoy the
weekend. There’s a lot of things to figure out, but
that’s for another day.”
Giroux brought his wife, Ryanne, and 2-year-old
son, Gavin, with him to the all-star festivities in Las
Vegas, and he clearly enjoyed the family time. His
wife posted weekend snapshots of Gavin on Dad’s
shoulders, inside the locker room, and asleep on
Dad’s arms on the plane.
“I think he took a picture with all the mascots,”
Giroux said.
Giroux had a million reasons to cherish the
extravaganza.
The seven-time all-star won his first MVP award
with two goals in the final and another in the
semifinal. Giroux also picked up a slice of the
$1 million check shared among the winning play-
ers as the captain of the Metropolitan squad — a
role he got after the Washington Capitals’ Alex
Ovechkin tested positive for the coronavirus earli-
er in the week.
“He’s been setting the bar, and I’ve been happy
for him getting personal accolades, as well,” Yeo
said.
— Associated PressGiroux’s future with Flyers is foggyAs its season continues to spiral downward, Philadelphia could trade its all-star center, a free-agent-to-beEntering Saturday’s games.
GOALS GP G
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton.................................... 45 33
Chris Kreider, N.Y. Rangers................................. 47 33
Auston Matthews, Toronto................................. 41 31
Alex Ovechkin, Washington................................ 47 29
Alex DeBrincat, Chicago...................................... 47 27
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg........................................ 44 25
Troy Terry, Anaheim............................................ 44 25
Filip Forsberg, Nashville...................................... 34 24
Dylan Larkin, Detroit........................................... 43 24
David Pastrnak, Boston....................................... 45 24
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado.................................. 42 24
Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh................................... 42 23
Andrew Mangiapane, Calgary............................. 44 23
Connor McDavid, Edmonton................................ 44 23
Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit......................................... 40 22
Matt Duchene, Nashville..................................... 43 22
Tomas Hertl, San Jose......................................... 46 22
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay.............................. 47 22
ASSISTS GP A
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida.............................. 47 47
Nazem Kadri, Colorado........................................ 42 42
Adam Fox, N.Y. Rangers...................................... 44 40
Connor McDavid, Edmonton................................ 44 40
Artemi Panarin, N.Y. Rangers............................. 42 39
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay................................. 48 38
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary................................... 44 37
Kris Letang, Pittsburgh....................................... 44 37
Morgan Rielly, Toronto........................................ 44 35
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota................................... 41 34
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado.............................. 31 34
Roman Josi, Nashville......................................... 45 33
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington......................... 46 33
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton.................................... 45 32
Mikael Granlund, Nashville................................. 45 32
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver................................... 45 32
Patrick Kane, Chicago.......................................... 43 32
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay.............................. 47 32
POWER-PLAY GOALS GP PP
Chris Kreider, N.Y. Rangers................................. 47 17
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton.................................... 45 14
David Pastrnak, Boston....................................... 45 12
Alex DeBrincat, Chicago...................................... 47 11
Auston Matthews, Toronto................................. 41 11
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado.................................. 42 10
Mika Zibanejad, N.Y. Rangers............................. 47 10
Sebastian Aho, Carolina...................................... 42 9
Pierre-Luc Dubois, Winnipeg............................... 43 9
Matt Duchene, Nashville..................................... 43 9
Joel Eriksson Ek, Minnesota............................... 37 8
Jason Robertson, Dallas...................................... 37 8
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay.............................. 47 8
SHORTHANDED GOALS GP SH
Aleksander Barkov, Florida................................. 34 4
Gustav Nyquist, Columbus.................................. 45 4
Cam Atkinson, Philadelphia................................ 46 3
Isac Lundestrom, Anaheim.................................. 49 3
Logan Couture, San Jose..................................... 43 2
Alex Formenton, Ottawa..................................... 40 2
Roope Hintz, Dallas............................................. 43 2
Mathieu Joseph, Tampa Bay............................... 45 2
Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles................................. 44 2
Chris Kreider, N.Y. Rangers................................. 47 2
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington......................... 46 2
Scott Laughton, Philadelphia.............................. 43 2
Brad Marchand, Boston....................................... 39 2
Mitch Marner, Toronto........................................ 35 2
Ilya Mikheyev, Toronto........................................ 15 2
Valeri Nichushkin, Colorado................................ 29 2
Reilly Smith, Vegas............................................. 46 2
Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina................................. 40 2
Jimmy Vesey, New Jersey................................... 45 2
POWER-PLAY ASSISTS GP PPA
Adam Fox, N.Y. Rangers...................................... 44 21
Connor McDavid, Edmonton................................ 44 20
Artemi Panarin, N.Y. Rangers............................. 42 19
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver................................... 45 17
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay................................. 48 16
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida.............................. 47 16
Brad Marchand, Boston....................................... 39 16
J.T. Miller, Vancouver.......................................... 46 16
Kris Letang, Pittsburgh....................................... 44 15
Cale Makar, Colorado........................................... 41 15
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton....................... 38 15
Roman Josi, Nashville......................................... 45 14
SHORTHANDED ASSISTS GP SHA
Aaron Ekblad, Florida........................................... 46 3
Logan O'Connor, Colorado................................... 45 3
Mika Zibanejad, N.Y. Rangers............................. 47 3
Sebastian Aho, Carolina...................................... 42 2
Patrice Bergeron, Boston.................................... 43 2
T.J. Brodie, Toronto............................................. 44 2
Connor Brown, Ottawa........................................ 29 2
Brett Howden, Vegas.......................................... 35 2
Zach Hyman, Edmonton...................................... 39 2
Alexander Kerfoot, Toronto................................ 44 2
Anton Lundell, Florida......................................... 43 2
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton....................... 38 2
Jean-Gabriel Pageau, N.Y. Islanders................... 39 2
Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia................................. 43 2
Michael Raffl, Dallas........................................... 39 2
Sam Reinhart, Florida.......................................... 44 2
Matt Roy, Los Angeles........................................ 45 2
Marco Scandella, St. Louis.................................. 45 2
Moritz Seider, Detroit......................................... 48 2
Reilly Smith, Vegas............................................. 46 2
POWER-PLAY POINTS GP PPP
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton.................................... 45 26
Connor McDavid, Edmonton................................ 44 26
Chris Kreider, N.Y. Rangers................................. 47 23
Artemi Panarin, N.Y. Rangers............................. 42 23
Brad Marchand, Boston....................................... 39 22
Adam Fox, N.Y. Rangers...................................... 44 21
Roman Josi, Nashville......................................... 45 21
J.T. Miller, Vancouver.......................................... 46 21
Auston Matthews, Toronto................................. 41 20
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado.................................. 42 20
Mika Zibanejad, N.Y. Rangers............................. 47 20
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida.............................. 47 19
Nazem Kadri, Colorado........................................ 42 19
Cale Makar, Colorado........................................... 41 19
SHORTHANDED POINTS GP SHP
Aleksander Barkov, Florida................................. 34 4
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington......................... 46 4
Gustav Nyquist, Columbus.................................. 45 4
Logan O'Connor, Colorado................................... 45 4
Reilly Smith, Vegas............................................. 46 4
Cam Atkinson, Philadelphia................................ 46 3
Logan Couture, San Jose..................................... 43 3
Aaron Ekblad, Florida........................................... 46 3
Zach Hyman, Edmonton...................................... 39 3
Mathieu Joseph, Tampa Bay............................... 45 3
Isac Lundestrom, Anaheim.................................. 49 3
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton....................... 38 3
Mika Zibanejad, N.Y. Rangers............................. 47 3
GAME-WINNING GOALS GP GW
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton.................................... 45 8
Troy Terry, Anaheim............................................ 44 7
Sam Bennett, Florida........................................... 37 6
Filip Forsberg, Nashville...................................... 34 6
Timo Meier, San Jose.......................................... 41 6
Jason Robertson, Dallas...................................... 37 6
SHOTS GP S
Alex Ovechkin, Washington................................ 47215
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg........................................ 44196
David Pastrnak, Boston....................................... 45194
Auston Matthews, Toronto................................. 41188
Timo Meier, San Jose.......................................... 41168
Connor McDavid, Edmonton................................ 44165
Patrice Bergeron, Boston.................................... 43164
Patrick Kane, Chicago.......................................... 43162
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton.................................... 45160
Roman Josi, Nashville......................................... 45159
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary................................... 44153
Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh................................... 42153
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota................................... 41150
Viktor Arvidsson, Los Angeles............................ 40149
William Nylander, Toronto.................................. 44149
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado.................................. 42148
Chris Kreider, N.Y. Rangers................................. 47147
PLUS-MINUS RATING GP+/-
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary................................... 44 35
Devon Toews, Colorado....................................... 34 34
Elias Lindholm, Calgary....................................... 44 33
Ryan Hartman, Minnesota.................................. 42 32
Aaron Ekblad, Florida........................................... 46 29
Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary.................................. 44 29
Cale Makar, Colorado........................................... 41 28
Alex Goligoski, Minnesota................................... 37 26
Anton Lundell, Florida......................................... 43 25
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado.................................. 42 25
Anthony Duclair, Florida...................................... 39 24
Justin Faulk, St. Louis......................................... 39 24
Gustav Forsling, Florida...................................... 38 24
Oliver Kylington, Calgary..................................... 43 24NHL LEADERSRICK SCUTERI/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Claude Giroux, right, recorded a hat trick in last weekend’s All-Star Game in Las Vegas, one more showcase moment as the trade deadline draws near.hockeyl JETS 5, PREDATORS 2:
Blake Wheeler scored two goals
and assisted on three others to
lead Winnipeg to a road victory
over Nashville.
Mark Scheifele had a goal and
two assists and Kyle Connor and
Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored for
the Jets. Mikael Granlund and
Matt Duchene scored and Juuse
Saros made 38 saves for the Preda-
tors, who have lost three of four.
l BLUE JACKETS 2, CANA-
DIENS 1: Patrik Laine scored a
power-play goal with eight sec-
onds left in regulation, and Co-
lumbus edged host Montreal, ex-
tending the Canadiens’ winless
streak to nine games.
l RED WINGS 4, FLYERS 2:
Thomas Greiss stopped 32 shots
and Moritz Seider scored a power-
play goal in the third period to
help Detroit defeat visiting Phila-
delphia for the second time in four
days.ASSOCIATED PRESSIn St. Paul, Minn., Kevin Fiala
and Frederick Gaudreau each had
a goal and an assist for the Minne-
sota Wild, which held on for a 3-2
victory over the Carolina Hurri-
canes after consecutive goals by
Andrei Svechnikov in the third
period Saturday night.
Kirill Kaprizov also scored and
Cam Talbot stopped 37 shots for
the Wild, which has won 10 of its
last 12 games.
Frederik Andersen had 24 saves
for the Hurricanes, who fell to
17-5-2 in their last 24 games. An-
dersen is still 14-2-1 in his last
17 starts, with just 34 goals allowed
in that stretch.
The Hurricanes and Wild
brought two of the NHL’s top six
records i nto this game, their first
against each other in more than 26
months because of the pandemic-
altered 2020-21 schedule.
l BRUINS 2, SENATORS 0:
Jeremy Swayman had 30 saves in
his second shutout of the season as
Boston beat Ottawa on the road.
Trent Frederic and Curtis Lazar
scored for the Bruins, who were
coming off an ugly 6-0 home loss
to the Hurricanes on Thursday.
Matt Murray made 35 saves forthe Senators. Murray has stopped
77 of the 80 shots he has faced over
the past two games.
Including its 2-0 loss to the
Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday,
Ottawa has gone 157 minutes
6 seconds without scoring.
l CANUCKS 3, MAPLE
LEAFS 2: Thatcher Demko had a
career-high 51 saves as Vancouver
beat Toronto at home.
J.T. Miller had a goal and an
assist and Brock Boeser and Juno
Lammikko also scored for the Ca-
nucks.
Auston Matthews and Ondrej
Kase scored power-play goals for
the Maple Leafs, who l ost consecu-
tive games in regulation for the
first time since October.NHL ROUNDUP
Minnesota beats Carolina to stay hot
WILD 3,
HURRICANES 2l BLUES 5, BLACKHAWKS 1:
Oskar Sundqvist had a goal and an
assist as host St. Louis dealt Chica-
go its fourth loss in five games.
David Perron, Dakota Joshua,
Vladimir Tarasenko and Jordan
Kyrou also scored for the Blues,
who are 6-0-2 in their last eight
against the Blackhawks. Dylan
Strome scored and Marc-Andre
Fleury had 26 saves for Chicago.CAPITALS’ NEXT THREEvs. Ottawa SenatorsToday12:30NBCSWat Nashville PredatorsTuesday 8NBCSWat Philadelphia FlyersThursday 7NBCSW+Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM)FLOORING SALE
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