Claude Giroux and Jim Hiller now sit in the middle of Toronto's next forward decision.
The latest market noise says the Maple Leafs have spoken with Giroux's camp and remain seriously interested, while Edmonton appears to have cooled and Philadelphia and Ottawa are still hanging around.
That matters because Giroux is not just another veteran name floating through July. He played all 82 games for Ottawa last season and still gave them 14 goals and 49 points.
He also stayed strong in the areas older forwards usually lose first. Giroux won 63.1% of his faceoffs in 2025-26, which jumps off the page for a Leafs team that keeps looking for more detail down the middle and on the wing.
For Toronto, the fit is easy to see. Hiller is walking into a roster that already has enough skill, but still needs more composure, more puck support, and more adults in tight spots.
" Bruce Garrioch: The Maple Leafs have also spoken with Claude Giroux's camp and remain keenly interested; Oilers made a pitch, but...Mark Spector says they're no longer involved; The Flyers and Senators are both in the mix - Ottawa Citizen (7/4) "
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Giroux still brings that. Over his NHL career, he has played 1,345 games and put up 1,165 points, which is the kind of résumé teams trust when they need one more stabilizer instead of one more project.
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A major update just emerged on Claude Giroux's future with another Canadian team
This is why the Leafs staying keen makes sense. Giroux does not need to carry a line at 38. He needs to help one, especially on a team that has been trying to reshape its forward mix all summer.
The Flyers angle is emotional, and the Senators angle is familiar. Toronto's angle is different. The Leafs can sell him a real role on a team still trying to push back toward the top after last season's miss.
And the production says he can still handle it. Giroux followed a 50-point season in 2024-25 with 49 in 2025-26, so this is not a player falling off a cliff.
That is also why Edmonton dropping out matters. If one contender is stepping back, Toronto has a cleaner lane to make its case on term, role, and usage.
The biggest question is price and commitment. Giroux still has enough value that nobody should expect a bargain-basement deal, and the Leafs already have enough roster traffic that every addition has to make real sense.
But this one does. Claude Giroux gives Toronto faceoff help, second-unit power-play brains, and a veteran forward who can still make the game settle down when it starts getting loose.
That is why this file is worth watching hard. The Leafs are still in it, and of the teams left around Claude Giroux, Toronto may have the clearest hockey reason to keep pushing.
Should the Maple Leafs push hardest to sign Claude Giroux?
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