

The Ottawa Senators have signed pending free agent Claude Giroux to a one-year contract extension with a $2 million cap hit, the team announced Sunday. The contract will carry $2.75 million in performance bonuses.
The 37-year-old forward scored 15 goals and registered 50 points in 81 games played this season. Giroux added one goal and five points in six postseason games with the Senators. Giroux also finished the season as the team’s best faceoff man with a 61.5 percent win rate. Across three seasons in Ottawa, Giroux has 71 goals and 193 points in 245 regular-season games. Giroux joined Ottawa ahead of the 2022-23 season.
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The signing now leaves the Senators with $7,251,786 remaining in cap space ahead of the free agent period beginning July 1, according to PuckPedia.
Why did the Sens re-sign Giroux?
Even if it took some time to get done, re-signing the Sens forward was a priority for the team. Sens owner Michael Andlauer even sat in on discussions between GM Steve Staios and Giroux’s agent Pat Brisson during this month’s scouting combine in Buffalo. When Sens players held their exit interviews with the media last month, they spoke glowingly of the veteran forward and what he meant to their locker room dynamic. Senators senior vice president of hockey operations Dave Poulin told season-ticket holders that negotiations between Giroux and the team were “ongoing” at an event earlier this month. Even on Saturday, moments after the Senators finished their drafting in this year’s decentralized draft, Staios told the media he was “hoping to hear back” from Giroux’s camp on a deal. It got done less than 24 hours later.
Giroux himself felt he has “a lot in the tank” and believes he could still be an impact player at his age. To his point, it’s not impossible to see players continue to be effective in their late 30s, though his statistics have trended downward since his first season in Ottawa.
Claude Giroux still has it and is worth the $2 million base in the Senators’ middle-six. pic.twitter.com/3xxOcJZKDX
— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) June 29, 2025
If the Sens don’t acquire a top-line forward this summer, there is a world in which Giroux starts the season on Tim Stützle’s right wing again. But as he ages and his impact decreases, he may be better suited on a lower line. Still, as Staios and head coach Travis Green will tell you, the players dictate their place in the lineup. Giroux’s role on a team that’s internally expected to take the next step will be a storyline to watch.
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How do the performance bonuses work?
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported a breakdown on Sunday, according to league sources. Giroux must play at least 50 percent of playoff games to earn each playoff-based performance bonus.
Claude Giroux’s performance bonuses
Performance bonuses | Incentives |
---|---|
$250,000 |
each for 20, 30 and 60 games played in a season |
$250,000 |
if Ottawa makes playoffs and he plays 50 reg. season games |
$500,000 |
if Ottawa wins Round 1 of the playoffs |
$250,000 |
if Ottawa wins Round 2 of the playoffs |
$500,000 |
if Ottawa wins Round 3 of the playoffs |
$500,000 |
if Ottawa wins the Stanley Cup |
So, where does that leave the Sens and their offseason plans?
The Senators weren’t expected to be a big-name player for free agents this summer thanks to their limited cap space before signing Giroux, among other pending free agents. With the Senators trying to find cap relief wherever possible, you can likely expect them to vie for depth options on the free-agent market or through trades. The team had limited cap space at the trade deadline, and it found a way to acquire Dylan Cozens in exchange for Josh Norris — two players with similar salaries. That was before adding then-pending RFA Fabian Zetterlund, too.
Between those examples and last summer’s move to acquire Linus Ullmark, Staios is willing to make trades if the right offer presents itself. And he hasn’t wasted time this year, acquiring Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings for two draft picks, shoring up their defensive depth. There’s every reason to believe Staios could be open to more opportunities this summer as his free-agent spending looks limited.
(Top photo of Claude Giroux: Chris Tanouye / Freestyle Photography / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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