According to Pierre LeBrun, the veteran forward has committed to a 19th NHL season. With free agency looming July 1st, now it's up to the Senators.
Whether it's hockey, ping pong, or a game of cards, Claude Giroux is the ultimate competitor, and everyone knows it. When it's time for Giroux to hang up the blades, you almost get the sense that they're going to have to rip them off his feet and change the arena locks.
So at the end of the season, when he was asked if he wanted to keep playing and then claimed that he couldn't say for sure, there were a few quiet smirks in the media room.
"Yeah. I think everybody (wants to keep playing)," Giroux said. "But it's too early to even answer that question for me. I need to calm down a little bit, still a little fired up about the series. Sometimes you need to take a step back and give yourself a chance just to kind of chill and see what's next."
To the surprise of no one, the 38-year-old Giroux plans to return for a 19th NHL season
The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun says he was told this week that Giroux has decided to come back and play another season.
So now the ball is in the Sens' court, and it sure feels a lot like last year.
After a disappointing first-round defeat in 2025, Giroux got a one-year, bonus-laden deal. Now, after a disappointing first-round defeat in 2026, he'd probably be fine with another one-year, bonus-laden deal.
From a performance standpoint, GM Steve Staios might as well just print off a duplicate of Giroux's contract from last summer, because he was almost the same player this season.
Staios signed Giroux to a one-year, $2 million extension for the 2025–26 season, which included an additional $2.75 million in performance bonuses. He scooped up all the individual bonuses to the tune of $1 million.
He did that while doing what he always does: staying healthy, leading, and producing. Giroux, who's missed only one game in four years with Ottawa, put up 49 points this season, just one less than the season before.
Along with his off-the-charts desire to compete, there's also a good chance that his fondness for his teammates had a hand in Giroux's decision to keep playing.
"The guys in that locker room, I love spending time with those guys," Giroux said after the season ended. "They make it fun coming to the rink, and they definitely keep me young, and being around them is... I feel very lucky."
Giroux signed his deal last year on June 29, so there's still a load of time to get a deal done with Ottawa. All signs point to another one-year deal that keeps Giroux wearing the centurion crest for at least one more run.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
