NHL Rumors: Claude Giroux Trade from Flyers to Panthers Being Finalized

The Philadelphia Flyers are finalizing a trade that will send veteran forward Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

The Flyers are sitting seventh in the Metropolitan Division with 49 points and will almost certainly miss the playoffs for the second straight season. Giroux, meanwhile, is in the final year of his eight-year, $66.2 million contract.

Combine the two factors, and the 34-year-old was an obvious candidate to get moved ahead of the NHL's trade deadline.

Because of his no-movement clause, the ball was largely in Giroux's court. He had spent his entire 15-year career in Philadelphia and didn't sound like he was jumping at the chance to leave…