Flyers trade Giroux to Panthers for package including Tippett
The Philadelphia Flyers have traded longtime captain Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers for a package that includes forward Owen Tippett, both teams announced Saturday.
In addition to Tippett, Philadelphia received a conditional 2024 first-round pick and a 2023 third-round pick in exchange for Giroux's services. Prospects Connor Bunnaman and German Rubtsov and a 2024 fifth-round pick are also heading to Florida.
The Flyers will acquire the Panthers' first-rounder in 2024 if the pick falls outside the top 10. Otherwise, they will receive the latter's 2025 first-round selection.
Philadelphia will retain 50% of Giroux's salary.
"Any day that you trade your captain is a tough day, and with how much Claude has meant to this organization and how he has represented himself for 15 years, makes it all that more difficult to say goodbye," Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said.
"Claude is one of the best players to ever wear a Flyer uniform."
Giroux was only willing to accept a trade to Florida, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli. Earlier this month, reports emerged that the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues were also expressing interest in him.
The Panthers' package was competitive but "not as aggressive" as other offers on the table, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reports.
Giroux was one of the market's top names available heading into Monday's trade deadline. His contract, which carries an $8.275 million cap hit, contains a full no-movement clause, meaning he had control over his next move.
The 34-year-old logged 18 goals and 24 assists in 57 contests this season on a struggling Philadelphia squad. Giroux skated in his 1,000th game as a Flyer on Thursday night, but the team held him out of Friday's contest versus the Ottawa Senators as trade rumors continued to heat up.
Bunnaman, a 2016 fourth-round pick, played in 15 games with Philadelphia this campaign. The 23-year-old forward has three points in 54 career NHL contests.
The Flyers drafted Rubtsov in the first round in 2016, and the forward suited up for just four games during the 2019-20 campaign.
Tippett was the odd-man-out in Florida's deep forward corps. The 2017 10th overall pick registered six goals and eight assists in 42 games this season.
Philly's 2006 22nd overall pick leaves as the franchise's second-leading scorer with 900 points, sitting behind only Bobby Clarke, who still holds the top spot with 1,210. Giroux, the longest-tenured captain in Flyers history, was initially given the "C" in 2013.
The veteran center made the Stanley Cup Finals once with Philly in 2009-10, but his side ultimately lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. Giroux last suited up for a playoff game in 2020 when the Flyers fell to the New York Islanders in a spirited second-round series.
The seven-time All-Star either led or tied the Flyers in points in eight of the last 11 seasons. He will add his top-line pedigree to an already strong Panthers squad destined for the postseason. Florida sits atop the Atlantic Division with a 42-14-6 record.