The Philadelphia Flyers fell in their first round playoff battle with the Washington Capitals two weeks ago, and one of the biggest reasons for their loss was the underwhelming play of captain Claude Giroux, who scored just one point in the series. During the team’s exit interviews, Giroux refused to attribute his poor play to any injury, only willing to admit that he was as banged up as the rest of the his teammates.
Tonight, reports emerged that Giroux may truly have been a bit more damaged than he originally revealed.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported during the second intermission of Game 7 between the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars that he had heard rumblings of a possible hip surgery for Giroux in the coming weeks. Minutes later, Friedman confirmed the report via Twitter.
Notes: Hearing Claude Giroux to undergo hip/hernia surgery next week. Not a stunner, looked hurt in playoffs. Back for World Cup.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 12, 2016
This news makes perfect sense. Not only did Giroux struggle to score in the series, he also posted the lowest Neutral Zone Score of any Flyers player who appeared in all six games against the Capitals. Even for a struggling and frustrated Claude Giroux, those metrics seemed way too low for a player of his talent and track record.
It’s likely that more details will be made available in the coming days, but for now it looks like Giroux will be ready to go for the 2016-17 regular season.
