Claude Giroux to get paid, according to predictable report

Not really sure if this is a "report" as much as just common sense and throwing numbers at the wall, but CSN's John Boruk tweeted today that it's basically a given Claude Giroux is getting paid sooner than later. Well, duh.

You can draw up the contract right now, but Giroux will get 71-72 million over 8 years.It's just a matter of when it gets done #flyerstalk

— John Boruk (@JohnBorukCSN) March 19, 2013

Giroux's current contract expires at the end of the 2014 season, and there's absolutely no doubt that he's going to receive one of the largest contracts in Flyers history before that deal expires. Hell, we knew this was coming three years ago when he signed his current deal -- a steal at three-years, $11.25 million. Here's what we wrote at the time:

This obviously won't be Giroux's biggest contract -- in four years, he'll really get his pay day.

We all know he has that coming, but it's probably fair for both sides that he's signing this little stop-gap deal now. The Flyers are able to ensure he'll be around for the next few seasons at a reasonable price while Giroux gets to earn closer to what he's actually worth as he waits for what will surely be a gigantic pay day down the road.

The team has clearly changed quite a bit since then. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter are gone, Danny Briere is nearing the end of his time here -- one way or the other -- Scott Hartnell, Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek have longer term deals here and Ilya Bryzgalov is obviously a thing on the Flyers roster.

Despite a step back this season -- the whole team has taken a step back this season, so I don't see this season an indictment on his potential or his captaincy or anything -- Giroux is still one of the best players in the NHL. He's elite. He is still growing into his potential and when all is said and done, I'd put pretty good odds on him being one of the best players to ever pull on a Flyers sweater. And he will get paid as such.

Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf have both been paid in the last week by the Anaheim Ducks. Perry is two years older than Giroux, has had a similar career trajectory and will earn $8.6 million per year on his new eight year, $69 million deal. Getzlaf is also 27, in the same boat and will earn $8.2 million per year on his new eight year deal.

There's no reason to think Claude Giroux won't get a similar deal from the Flyers. He'll get an eight-year deal, the maximum under the new CBA. As Boruk said, the only true question is when that deal will get done and what the trickle down effect will do to the roster.