Rumblings from Monday night turned official earlier this afternoon as the Ottawa Senators have re-signed forward Claude Giroux to a one-year contract for the 2026-27 NHL season.
It really never gets old saying Claude Giroux is an Ottawa Senator 🫡
The #Sens have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with forward Claude Giroux ✍️ pic.twitter.com/jHMJNaSQ5P
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) July 7, 2026
Giroux will count as $2M towards this year’s cap, and has the opportunity to make an additional $3M in performance bonuses: $1.5M if he hits the 10-game mark, $500K if he plays 40 games, $500K for reaching the Stanley Cup Finals, and $500K for a Cup win. Like all of his contracts, this one comes with a full no-movement clause.
This is Giroux’s third contract with the Senators, following a three-year, $6.5M per deal in July 2022 and a one-year, $2M deal right on the cusp of free agency last season. After many wondered if his play would start to drop off last season, Giroux continued to be a top-six staple, playing a ton with Tim Stützle. It’ll be interesting to see if the coaching staff continues to play him with Stützle, if he moves to a more defensive role alongside Shane Pinto, or takes on the mentorship of a player like Stephen Halliday in the team’s bottom-six. While Giroux lines up as a winger, he led the league with a 63.1% faceoff winning percentage, and will likely continue to take draws on his strong side.
Bonuses are applied at the end of the season if there’s remaining space; if not, they’re applied to the team’s 2027-28 cap. Hence, the Senators are left with just under $4.2M in cap space for this season, and have 13F, 7D, and 3G accounted for. What’s next for Steve Staios?