April 2022
Sports
The Voyager 15
Longtime Flyers captain Giroux traded to Panthers By JOSEPH LOVERDI ‘22 Sports Editor
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he Philadelphia Flyers of the past decade have been associated with one man and one man only: Claude Giroux. Giroux was selected 22nd by the Flyers in the 2006 NHL Draft, and made his debut with the team in February 2008. His early career with the Flyers was defined by his shootout win against the New York Rangers in the last game of the 2009-10 season; this fired the Flyers into the playoffs and ultimately began a run to the Stanley Cup Finals. However, that was the closest Giroux would ever get to the Stanley Cup in a Flyers uniform. The Flyers were a consistent playoff team for most of his tenure in the orange and black, and Giroux was a huge part of that as he was an easy lock for 80+ points a season. But the Flyers could never get past the second round after 2010, despite all of the talent they’ve had since then. Giroux has also been captain since 2011, and was the longest-tenured captain in franchise history. He led the NHL in assists with 68 while scoring 102 points in the 2017-18 season—his best season to date—and has been named an all-star seven times, winning the All-Star Game MVP in 2022. He never got that ring while in Philadelphia. So, to see the news that Giroux waived his NTC, no-trade clause, to be traded to the Florida Panthers, arguably the best team in hockey, for prospect Owen Tippett (the 11th pick in the 2017 NHL Draft who’s struggled to crack a stacked Florida lineup), a 1st round pick in 2024, and a
3nd round pick in 2023, is incredibly sad. Giroux gave everything he had for the Flyers, scoring 900 points during his 15 years with the Flyers, second only to Bobby Clarke in franchise history. His final game was his 1000th career game, an emotional 5-4 win over the Nashville Predators where Giroux took a lap of honor and was named first star. The trade, while an absolute heist on Florida’s part (the return, compared to proposed packages from Colorado and Boston, is worse, and even then the Flyers could’ve gotten better prospects like Mackie Samoskevich and Grigori Denisenko), marks the end of an era. The Flyers are no longer contending for a playoff spot, and Giroux wants a ring which he probably won’t get in a Flyers uniform. He could come back this offseason, as he is a free agent, but for now, he’s going to Sunrise, and I’m sure all Flyers fans will wish him the best. Giroux will undoubtedly go down as one of, if not the, greatest Flyers of all time. And so it kind of hurts to see him light it up in Florida immediately upon his arrival, but it’s not exactly a surprise. In Sunrise, Giroux is sharing a line with MVP candidate Jonathan Huberdeau, who has scored 104 points and leads the league in assists with 77, and Sam Bennett, who’s recovered from a shaky spell with the Calgary Flames to blossom into a solid top 6 forward with Florida (his 45 points are a career high, continuing the strong form he’s shown with the team following his trade there last season). Giroux himself has been a point-per-game player, scoring 11 points in his first ten games with the Panthers, who have already clinched a playoff spot and look to win the first Stan-
Longtime Flyers captain Claude Giroux’s trade to Florida signals the end of an era in Philadelphia as they shift towards an “aggressive retool.” ley Cup in their franchise history. Meanwhile, Owen Tippett has immediately established himself as a fixture in the Flyers’ top 9. Tippett has long been seen as a skilled player whose path to the Panthers’ forward corps was blocked by their insane forward depth, and even then as a part-time player he looked decent, scoring 18 points in 45 games as a bottom 6 player. The change of scenery has benefitted Tippett well, as while 3 points in 11 games
Photo from Wikimedia
with your new team isn’t the most impressive, he’s been doing all of the little things right, looking like a possible cornerstone of the lineup for years to come if things keep heading in the right direction. Overall, it’s tough to see Giroux go. His legacy will be that of a class act who always put 110% effort in every shift and bled orange and black, but it’s undeniable that he wants a ring, and Florida probably gives him the best chance to get that.
Phillies bring power to the plate with Schwarber, Castellanos Castellanos started his career with the Tigers, and was drafted by current Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski. He’s an extra base hit t’s been a long time coming for the machine, having led the MLB in doubles Phillies. in 2019 with 58. The Phillies have lacked For the past decade, they have an all-around right-handed threat in their been stuck in a perpetual postsealineup, and Castellanos should fill that son drought with no relief. In 2019, the role wonderfully. team leveled up in a big way with face of Schwarber and Castellanos immediately the franchise Bryce Harper, but the team make the Phillies a dangerous team. Scorsomehow fell short of even a winning ing runs should not be a problem with a record. Fans are becoming exceedingly lineup this deep and potent. desperate for a postseason-bound Phillies On the other hand, defense will be a team. massive liability, and a potential blockade With two of their most recent signings, for a deep playoff run. Both Schwarber the MLB world has been put on notice — and Castellanos are poor fielders, and will the Phillies aren’t messing around. not make run prevention easy for Phillies Outfielders/designated hitters Kyle pitching. With the addition of the DH to Schwarber and Nick Castellanos both the National League, signed massive both players will not multi-year contracts A decade after the likely be in the field in Philadelphia, takPhillies were last simultaneously. ing the team’s lineup In his first plate apto the forefront of relevant in the MLB, pearance — and the the National League. they now have their Phillies’ first of the In order to make the signings happen, most exciting roster season — on Opening Day, Schwarber Phillies owner John since those days. hit a deep home run Middleton awarded to right field. It was $79 million over an electric start to four years to Schwarber, and $100 milhis time in Philly, and there are certainlion over five years to Castellanos. For the ly going to be more similar moments to first time in franchise history, the Phillies come. Castellanos struck out three times, are above the luxury tax threshold (faux but finished his day with a crucial RBI salary cap), which is listed at $230 mildouble to give the Phillies more insurance lion for the 2022 season. Middleton is in their eventual 9-5 victory. showing his commitment to assembling a However, through the Phillies’ first winning team, which is reassuring for a couple weeks of action, they were far fanbase ready to win. from dominant, sitting at a 6-10 record Schwarber, who won a World Series in on April 24th after a primetime matchup 2016 with the Cubs, brings a potent leftagainst the Milwaukee Brewers. They lost handed bat to complement Harper. Last the game 1-0 in a pitcher’s duel, which year, between the Nationals and Red Sox, was perhaps more influenced by home he had a career year, batting .266 with a plate umpire Angel Hernandez’s incon.374 on-base percentage and a .928 OPS. sistent strike zone than the teams’ abiliHe spent much of his time as a leadoff ties. Schwarber struck out looking against hitter, and will likely serve the same role closer Josh Hader in the 9th inning on an with the Phillies this year. By ANDREW SHINKLE ‘22 Editor-in-Chief
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New additions Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos make the Phillies an instant contending team. Photo by Wikimedia/Canva.com outside pitch, and voiced his frustration against Hernandez in a fit of rage. The Phillies are supposed to be an offense-first team, but the bats have scuffled a bit so far to start the season. Hitters all down the lineup haven’t had great approaches in their at-bats, and that’s concerning. However, there’s a long way to go in the 162-game season, and they should bounce back to being a top-flight offense in the National League. If the lineup can continually lay waste to opposing pitching, then the Phillies have a good chance of finally returning to the postseason. However, we’ve seen that the Phillies hitting is not infallible. When the lineup goes cold, the pitching and defense
are more vulnerable and weak for opposing teams to exploit. But with a lineup as loaded as the Phillies, those days will hopefully be few and far between. Coming off an MVP award, Harper now has plenty of complementary players at his service, and the team should bash their way into the thick of the NL East division race. A decade after the Phillies were last relevant in the MLB, they now have their most exciting roster since those days. With the team they have put together, it’ll be exciting to see where they end up at the season’s end. The next time you visit Citizens Bank Park, get ready to see some fireworks.
