One of the long-rumoured signings that had to wait until Noon to be official was Claude Giroux heading home to Ottawa to play for the Senators. That was one of the first deals announced when the gong struck 12:00:

It has been a busy offseason for Ottawa and Giroux joins Alex DeBrincat and Cam Talbot as the newest members of a team that looks ready to make a run for the playoffs. Let's break it down.

What Ottawa Gets

One of the glaring needs the Sens had in 2021-22 was more scoring beyond the top line – Drake Batherson finished fourth in points on the roster and played just 46 games. The additions of DeBrincat and now Giroux have solved their second-line scoring issues.

When a player starts to roll into their mid-30s, decline is always a huge concern. It should be said, however, that according to HockeyViz, Giroux is still nearly as good as he's ever been:

What stands out for Giroux is his playmaking. He doesn't shoot a lot, but picks his spots, but it's helping teammates succeed is why he's so valuable. Corey Sznajder's tracking data has him as one of the tops in the league in shot assists (passes leading to shots), very strong in scoring chance creation, and he's very strong on the forecheck, which is something he doesn't get enough credit for. He knows how to disrupt the opposition's breakout, which can lead to turnovers and the dangerous chances he helps create. Not only does that help his line mates succeed offensively, but also is a reason why teams struggle to generate high-danger chances of their own. He really is a wizard at controlling the play when he has the puck and dictating the play when he doesn't. These are all great attributes that will help whomever he lands with on his line in Ottawa.

The key for his scoring upside is the power play. Ottawa is a team that uses its top unit heavily, and he comes from a Philadelphia team (pre-trade) that saw their top PP unit struggle mightily. Giroux is strongest playing on his off-wing with the man advantage, and that could be bad news for Tim Stützle. The young Sens forward typically played his strong side on the man advantage, which is the role Giroux will ostensibly occupy. It does give the team a wonderful playmaker to use on the top PP quintet, but this probably ends Stützle's run of top PP time. Considering his 26 PPPs in 79 games, that is a big hit to his fantasy value. It should help the likes of Brady Tkachuk or Alex DeBrincat, but someone has to lose out, and it's likely the German forward.

It will be interesting to see how the Giroux/Stützle dynamic works at even strength. The younger forward is someone the team wants as a centre moving forward but he was abysmal on face-offs last year and that's another area where Giroux excels (at least 58% in five straight seasons). This could be a move that limits Jimmy Stu's faceoff upside which, along with the likely PP production decline, is going to really chip away at his fantasy value. That they're opposites in handedness might mean they switch off depending where the faceoff is taken but that might be something that comes a year from now, not necessarily in 2022-23.

This is big for Ottawa. It gives them to very good scoring lines and lots of power-play options. This should help that power play, which was already fine in 2021-22, sitting near the middle of the league. He, along with DeBrincat, could help move them into the top-10 of power play scoring, which helps all the guys on that power play. He will help Stützle's 5-on-5 production, which will soften the PP decline.

Giroux signing in Ottawa leaves a hole back in Florida's lineup. He had been moved all over the top-9 but it allows someone like Anthony Duclair or Sam Bennett to jump back on the top PP unit. If I were to bet, it's The Duke.

Who This Helps

Alex DeBrincat

Brady Tkachuk

Thomas Chabot

Anthony Duclair

Who This Hurts

Tim Stützle