With the way the pendulum has swung so far and the future we’re facing being somewhat bleak, we are potentially heading into the final 3 months of Claude Giroux donning the Orange and Black. Now if the Philadelphia Flyers turn their season around after the Christmas break and go on a run similar to the St. Louis Blues of 2019, then Giroux most likely stays and runs his contract and maybe gets an extension. If things continue the way they have been going, then we must brace for the inevitable.
If the Flyers don’t figure out their issues in time, it’s going to be a sad farewell to the longest tenured captain in Flyers history. There is one more stipulation behind a Giroux farewell, outside of the Flyers turning their season around, and that is Giroux’s full no-movement clause. He has all the marbles in his court in terms of a trade and where he ends up but one would have to assume this topic of conversation has been broached by both sides.
When it comes to Flyers lore, Giroux’s name is plastered everywhere. He is 2nd most games played (972), tied for 2nd in points (883), 9th in goals (284), 2nd in assists (599), 1st in power play points (334), 7th in game winning goals (46), and he is the longest tenured captain in Flyers history in terms of games played with the “C” at 687 games and counting. Even by the time the trade deadline arrives, Giroux has a chance to climb the rankings and hit the top 5 in certain categories.
Statistically he’s been superb, especially given some of the teams he’s had to deal with over his tenure. Giroux has been a Flyer dating back to 2007-08, so he has seen the roster purged several times in his 15 seasons. He’s been the lone constant in a very frustrating era of Flyers hockey and because of that, on top of the fact that he’s been captain since 2013, he has dealt with the blame of the Flyers shortcomings. Warranted or not, that is a discussion for another time. If he is gone either by the deadline or at the end of the season or start of the off-season, what becomes of the “C” in Philadelphia.
After Keith Primeau’s injury, the Flyers named Derian Hatcher the interim captain for the remainder of the season before handing it off to Peter Forsberg for one year (2006-07), then Jason Smith for another year (2007-08). Mike Richards wore the “C” for 3 years (2008-09 to 2010-11), and then Chris Pronger did for a season (2011-12) before Claude Giroux’s run.
Since his captaincy, the Flyers have gone through 3 general managers, 6 head coaches, and arguably 2 different but similar cores. They have alternated between making and missing the playoffs for 10 seasons and are on the verge of potentially missing the playoffs in back to back seasons for the first time since 1992-93 and 1993-94. It’s easy to blame Giroux for these shortcomings but the argument is endless and fruitless, regardless of the side you sit on.
For those who believe Giroux is unfit to be the captain and have been clamouring for his removal for years, their time for change is soon coming. Do the Flyers go without a captain? Or do they appoint a new captain upon his potential departure?
For a while when Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds were Flyers, their names were often brought up as potential suitors for a replacement captain. Now that they are both gone and playing for different teams, the last domino on the team seems to be Sean Couturier. There are several other possible replacements like Kevin Hayes, Ryan Ellis, or even Ivan Provorov, but logically it’ll fall onto Couturier.
For starters he’s been around the longest (after Giroux) since he debuted in 2011-12. He has taken on a very vocal role in the last several years which coincides with his on-ice production sky rocketing. There were several moments where it looked like he was on the verge of finally making a scene offensively but almost every time he dealt with some kind of injury. Since he spoke up and demanded a higher role, he’s put up 269 points in 305 games. He has also worn the “A” since 2019-20.
Couturier is also signed through 2029-30 and has seemingly been the face of the franchise for the last few years. You can most certainly make the case that he’s been the most important Flyer in the last few years with the ice time he gets, the penalty killing duties, the increased power play time, and matching up against the other team’s top units. Giroux has been paired with Couturier a lot so the duo are very tightly knit in those verses.
You can make an argument for Hayes, Ellis, Provorov, and maybe a few others as well. Hayes has been an alternate captain since his arrival in 2019, Ellis wore the “A” in Nashville for a long time and is a grizzled veteran, while Provorov would be more of the “new guard” captain, since a lot of teams are going younger with their captains.
You can also make an argument that the Flyers could go captain-less like some teams have been doing recently. Currently the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, and New York Rangers are without captains, with the former three teams just recently having a vacant spot. The Rangers have been without one since 2017-18. However, it seems unlikely as the Flyers have had a captain in place in every season since 1993-94.
With many stating that Giroux wasn’t a fit leader, that he never commanded the locker room and that he’s the scourge of Philadelphia, if any of that were true then the Flyers need to make a very poignant decision on who they would name as their next captain. Everything for now is hearsay and nothing happens until the Flyers and Giroux come to terms with their next move for the future.
Everything is hypothetical because the Flyers aren’t done and out just yet, they’re definitely floundering into the abyss but nothing is set in stone. They currently sit 12-12-5 and fifth in the Wild Card race, trailing the Detroit Red Wings by four points but have two games in hand for that final spot. Flyers management and brass will most definitely not want to signal another rebuild or a tear-down, but if the team can’t figure out their on-ice issues and fast, they might not have another choice.
Another down season and missing playoffs might spell the end for #28 in Philadelphia. He has deserved the right to win and fight for a Stanley Cup after his terrific 15-year tenure in the Orange and Black. If things don’t turn around this season, it will definitely be disappointing that he couldn’t have achieved that type of success here but there were several reasons and different circumstances as to why it never happened; a lot of them out of his reach.
If the Flyers are ready to name a new captain and if everything turns out the way I have proposed, then Sean Couturier is most likely in line to becoming the 19th captain in franchise history. His on-ice performance has helped him reach such a pinnacle, adding onto the fact that he just signed a long term extension that will keep him in Philadelphia until the end of the 2029-30 season.
