There were rumors over the weekend that Claude Giroux was close to signing an extension with the orange and black. Apparently, those rumors were true. According to the ever-reliable Bob McKenzie of TSN, the Flyers have signed Giroux to a three-year, $11.25 million contract extension. That’s $3.75 million per season. Paul Holmgren has confirmed the news.
CapGeek.com is reporting that the Giroux will earn $2 million next season, $3.5 million in 2012-2013 and $5 million in 2013-2014. The salary cap hit is really what matters, of course, and that sticks at $3.75 million.
As is the deal with these extensions, it won’t go into effect until the beginning of next season, meaning Giroux will be a Flyer through the 2013-2014 season.
If you’re asking me, $3.75 million is a steal for a guy with the talent Giroux has. He’s just starting to really show his full potential this season, and the Flyers were absolutely brilliant to lock him up now. If the first month of this season is any indication, Giroux is going to have a career year. He’s gonna be more expensive in June. Holmgren deserves a ton of credit for getting this done now.
Giroux will earn less than Jeff Carter on this contract. He’ll earn less than Mike Richards. He’ll earn worlds less than Danny Briere. Hell, he’ll even make less than Scott Hartnell. This obviously won’t be Giroux’s biggest contract — in four years, he’ll really get his pay day.
We all know he has that coming, but it’s probably fair for both sides that he’s signing this little stop-gap deal now. The Flyers are able to ensure he’ll be around for the next few seasons at a reasonable price while Giroux gets to earn closer to what he’s actually worth as he waits for what will surely be a gigantic pay day down the road.
That’s all down the road, though. For now, we can celebrate while we think about how much more of this insanity we’ll get to witness over the next few seasons.
