On Friday, Chris Johnston of TSN reported that the Colorado Avalanche have an interest in both Claude Giroux, captain of the Philadephia Flyers and future hall of fame goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Johnston also noted that it might be difficult for the Avs to land both players. Let's take a look at each player and who might be the better of the two trade targets for Colorado:
The 34-year-old centreman is currently putting together a nice season with 15 goals, 21 assists and 36 points. he shares the team scoring lead with Cam Atkinson. Giroux could certainly help in a depth role for the Avalanche, and it would give the veteran forward another run at the Stanely Cup. if the price is right, it might be good for the flyers to do right by their long-time captain.
The future first-ballot hall of fame goaltender is having a very respectable season in 2021-22, despite the Chicago Blackhawks being second last in the central division. With a record of 15-16-3 along with 3 shutouts, a 9.10 save percentage and a 2.88 goals-against average. in what may be Fleury's last NHL season it might be nice for the Blackhawks to give the 37-year-old one last run at a cup before he hangs them up.
It's hard to say which player the Colorado Avalanche should go after, there can be a case made for both players, but, with Darcy Keumpher having a pretty good handle on the starting job and Pavel Francouz performing well coming in limited action this year, I think the best idea would be to acquire Giroux for the added depth option down the middle or on the wing. However, if the Avs were to pull off a three-team trade with salary retention, it is possible that they land both players
