Claude Giroux was traded to the Florida Panthers on March 19, 2022. It was a difficult day for fans, but the trade would have been much more gut-wrenching if no one had expected it. In reality, we were prepared for the move long before it happened. When was the first time you heard a rumor about G’s impending departure? February? January? As early as December when Alain Vigneault was fired and the downward trajectory of the season was preordained?
In hindsight, the trade wasn’t a necessity. One could validly ask whether it served any purpose. Of course, it mercifully allowed Giroux to move to a team with an actual chance of winning the Stanley Cup, but did the Flyers derive any benefit?