Recognize Greatness: Claude Giroux is a Superstar!
Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Over the past five seasons, Claude Giroux has established himself as one of the most prolific players in the NHL. At the same time though, Giroux is seriously underrated. Giroux has been overshadowed by names such as Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jonathan Toews, and others. Since 2011 though, Claude Giroux has finished every season in the top 20 of total scoring, including a pair of campaigns where he finished in the top five of scoring. Those two campaigns also resulted in a pair third-place finishes in the voting for the Hart Trophy -- the NHL's Most Valuable Player award.
If that doesn't scream consistency, let me drop this knowledge on you. Claude Giroux is one of only five players to have recorded 65 points in every full NHL season since 2011. For those nitpickers out there, the lockout shortened 2012-13 season does not count. Giroux joins Tyler Seguin, John Tavares, Joe Thornton, and Erik Karlsson as the only players to accomplish this feat.
If that's not enough evidence to support my claim, that Giroux is extremely underrated, I present "Exhibit C.."
Rob Vollman is an ESPN Insider columnist, NHL columnist, and more specifically, a hockey statistician. He provided us hockey fans with this list of the top scorers in the NHL over the past five seasons. What name resides at the top of that list? Why, it's Claude Giroux! How is that even possible? Oh, that's right -- he's an underrated superstar! Giroux has been putting together consistently elite production since 2011, and it's flown under the radar for the most part.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that Claude gets no recognition, because that would be a false claim. He's gotten recognition for his skill, in the past. The point that I'm making here, is that Giroux has not gotten the level of attention, that his amount of production deserves. He's been the NHL's leading scorer over the past five seasons, and all anyone can talk about is "Sid the Kid", Patrick Kane, John Tavares, or this up & coming kids like Vlad Tarasenko, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, etc. Clearly, part of the reason for this, is that the Flyers haven't been a true contender in some time. They've always been a one-and-done type of team, when it comes to postseason play.
Another contributing factor to Giroux's elite play being overlooked, is his lack of a playoff performance. In 2012, Giroux had a fantastic postseason. In 10 games, the captain compiled 17 points (8 goals, 9 assists), a number that was good for third among active postseason players, that year. In 2013 though, Giroux pretty much disappeared. The Flyers did battle with their bitter rival the New York Rangers in a grueling seven-game series, a series that saw Giroux compile a mere six points (2 goals, 4 assists). Most saw this as Giroux "choking" under pressure. The Flyers made the playoffs this season, and Giroux again disappeared. In six games against the NHL-best Washington Capitals, Giroux was only able to muster one point. He didn't find the back of the net, and didn't really have much of an effect on the series, as a whole.
Clearly, Giroux has his fair share of issues when it comes to producing in the postseason. However, that shouldn't be the deciding factor in everyone's perception of him. Giroux has come a long way since he broke out in the 2011-12 season, and I believe that he is still capable of taking his game to the next level. Whether he does so or not, that remains to be seen. The only thing that I know at this current moment, is that Claude Giroux definitely deserves the honor of being called a superstar.
What do you think, Flyers Nation?
