The Toronto Maple Leafs made a serious offer to Claude Giroux and it may not be enough as the veteran is waiting to see if anyone can outbid them before he chooses.
There's been a lot of talk around Claude Giroux as it was first reported he was going to sign with the Philadelphia Flyers but then that was refuted with the news that Philadelphia was waiting for the Leo Carlsson situation to resolve. He's still a free agent, and there's certainly a few teams who would love him.
The Maple Leafs are a team who have been linked to Giroux and have spoken to his camp, but there hasn't been any traction beyond that. he would make for a great veteran piece in the top-nine, and still has the offensive capabilities to provide some great secondary scoring and elite defence.
Toronto offered Claude Giroux the most money but he's still playing the waiting game
He isn't going to be the cheapest person available though and it's unlikely he signs for the league minimum, so Toronto is going to have to sweeten things a little for their long-time rival and according to Elliotte Friedman, they have.
Friedman reported on the final 32 Thoughts of the year that he heard the Maple Leafs had offered Giroux the most amount of money, but that the forward was simply waiting things out to see if anyone can outbid the blue and white:
Reports said he was going to Philly but I couldn't confirm. Edmonton was in there, Toronto was definitely in there. I think actually Toronto offered the most money; another team that was in this thinks...Giroux is seeing if anybody can really change his mind.
They think he wants to go to Philly and is waiting to see if anyone can change his mind; I'm just going off opinion here though.
It's hard to know then if Giroux would then be willing to head to Philadelphia on a cheaper rate or what exactly he needs convincing of. He could want to compete for a Cup before retiring and Toronto or Edmonton would provide him a great chance to do that, but we don't know his true motives if he's waiting things out.
Claude Giroux fits Toronto's lineup perfectly but they'll have to convince him it's worth it
Considering that Giroux is 38, you'd expect that he wouldn't really fit in a lineup that is trying to get younger and faster but Giroux isn't your ordinary player. From his age 35-38 seasons, he scored 242 points in 327 games (85 goals, 157 assists) while winning nearly 60% of his face-offs, and 244 hits.
He's still getting physical, playing elite defence, scoring at a very good pace and is such a beloved and respected locker room leader that he would bring everyone together.
Not to mention he would be the perfect mentor for Gavin McKenna as he's been through it all and can set him on a course for a long and prosperous NHL career.
Maybe that's what will push things over the edge for Giroux. Getting the chance to mentor McKenna while also getting a superstar lineup of talent to work with and his versatility to play anywhere in the lineup makes Jim Hiller's life easier.
He made $2-million last year and if he's headed back to Philly it may be for the same amount, so Toronto should try and see if they can convince him to come here for that two-year window and raise the stakes.
The team will have to figure other ways to make cap space, but Morgan Rielly's potential trade and Max Domi's LTIR relief will help.
So Toronto might have to do some more convincing beyond financial means to bring Giroux in, but for someone who could be a crucial part of the lineup, maybe giving him a bigger spotlight is the way to bring him aboard.
Do you think Toronto will win the Claude Giroux sweepstakes?
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