Claude Giroux has quickly become a fan favorite in Philadelphia. His slick passing, tenacious forechecking, and elite vision have earned him the reputation of a future star. His Winter Classic jersey even broke the top 20 in overall NHL jersey sales this past season.
However, his statistical production has not yet matched his talent. His 47 points in 2009 was a bit of a disappointment after his fantastic postseason the previous year.
In 2010, Giroux impressed in the playoffs yet again, scoring 21 points in 23 games. But why is 2010 different from 2009? Will Giroux have his breakout regular season this year?
Obvious Talent
While Giroux was arguably the best Flyer during the team's 2009 series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he was playing in a playoff round that only lasted six games. The series helped build his reputation as a "clutch player," but it was still an extremely small sample size.
The 23-game playoff run in 2010 was a much larger body of work, and therefore, was much more impressive.
Giroux was one of the Flyers' top forwards throughout the postseason, impressing both offensively and defensively.
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Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Charlie O'Connor
Claude Giroux: Philadelphia Flyers’ Playmaker Primed For Breakout Season
September 26th, 2010 by Charlie O'Connor Leave a reply »
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