Somebody Needs To Apologize For Claude Giroux No Longer Being In The NHL's Top 50 Players
TSN – Not even back-to-back Conn Smythe trophies were enough for Sidney Crosby to hold off Connor McDavid for one more year.
For the first time in the eight-year history of TSN’s Top 50 player poll, Crosby was knocked off his perch as the projected No. 1 player in the NHL, as decided by a panel of 22 TSN experts…Flyers captain Claude Giroux took one of the biggest tumbles, from No. 31 to off the board, after climbing as high as No. 3 in 2012.
Well now you’re all in deep shit. I don’t think it’s any secret that Claude Giroux’s game has fallen off a bit since he had 93 points in the 2011-12 season. His last 4 seasons have been a steady decline from 86 to 73 to 67 to 58 points. Last year was obviously a huge disappointment for Giroux and I’m not even necessarily here to disagree with the fact that he was left off the list this year. There used to be a time when I would have to fight you if you said that Claude Giroux isn’t a top 10 player in the league. Then there used to be a time when I would have to fight you if you said that Claude Giroux isn’t a top 20 player in the league. Those days are gone. But leaving him off the top 50 list? It may be justified after last year but now you’re just begging the guy to have a bounce back year and get back into the top 30 next year.
Now something about Giroux to keep in mind for anybody out there who isn’t a Flyers fan. The Flyers are currently working Giroux at wing playing with Sean Couturier and Jake Voracek. Who knows if that line will stay together for opening night but it’s definitely going to be something that they use at some point during the season. So now you’ve got Claude Giroux who is desperate for a bounce back year playing on the wing which means that he has less responsibility in his own zone. Assuming the Flyers keep at least 2 out of Travis Sanheim, Sam Morin and Robert Hagg up this season, the Flyers will have at least 4-5 puck moving defensemen who can spring Giroux and Voracek on a rush. Mix that in with the fact that he’ll have even more weapons to work with on the powerplay this year and there’s just no way that Giroux doesn’t have a bounce back year. Especially considering he can just rack up points this year dishing the puck off to greatest hockey boy in the world Travis Konecny whenever the opportunity arrises.
But yeah. I’ve never been more sure of anything than I am that this is the year that Claude Giroux reasserts his dominance. The combination of the disrespect mixed with the fact that the Flyers are a more skilled overall team this year is gonna make it damn near impossible for him to not put up at least 70. Unless he’s actually lost it. He’s only 29 years old though and was playing through some injuries the past couple of seasons so I don’t think that’ll be the case.