Senators winger Claude Giroux nominated for Masterton Memorial Trophy

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Claude Giroux has been a heart-and-soul player throughout his 17-year National Hockey League career.

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Thursday, he was recognized for his contributions to the Ottawa Senators.

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The 36-year-old Giroux was elected as the Senators’ nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy in voting done by the Ottawa chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.

The Masterton Trophy is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey — and Giroux possesses those qualities in his approach.

“It’s a great honour,” Giroux told reporters before facing the Florida Panthers on Thursday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. “It’s nice to get nominated by your own club. It’s a good feeling.”

Giroux is the kind of player who is counted on every night to help captain Brady Tkachuk and the club’s young core compete. The key to Giroux’s success throughout his career has been hard work and that approach hasn’t changed since he signed here as an unrestricted free agent in July 2022.

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He has suited up in 157 consecutive games since signing with the Sens. If he plays in the club’s final seven remaining games, he’ll rank third behind Kyle Turris (307 straight) and Dany Heatley (207) for consecutive games to start their Ottawa careers.

“He’s had a tremendous season. He’s been a big help to this team,” interim head coach Jacques Martin said. “He’s probably the only veteran player that we have. He’s got a lot of experience, he’s provided a lot of leadership and he’s been very helpful to Brady as the captain.

“This organization probably needs a little more of that.”

Giroux has suited up for 1,175 games in his career and went into Thursday night ranked No. 77 all-time in NHL scoring with 1,062 points. Since signing with the Senators, he had scored 55 goals and had 139 points before facing the Panthers.

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He has 20 goals and 60 points this season, has been one of the best free-agent signings this club has ever had and he isn’t showing any sign of slowing down.

“I’m playing with good players and that really helps,” he said. “You just trying to take care of your body and be consistent. You try to bring your ‘A’ game every night and that’s not easy, but you just try to do whatever you can to make sure that you are helping the team.”

Martin said he’s been trying to help Giroux manage his game.

“It’s tough. I feel for him because I think at one time it was effecting his play because he was putting a lot of energy into try to help others,” Martin said. “Also I used him a lot because there wasn’t much practice time and I think he was getting a little fatigued.

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“He got over that and I believe he’s giving us some good. One of his biggest assets to me is his intelligence and his ability to read the play. He’s in the right spot at the right time. He can shoot the puck, but he’s also more of a playmaker because of his anticipation.”

CHABOT CLOSING IN ON RETURN

Thomas Chabot has taken a step in the right direction.

The next stop could be a return to the Senators’ blueline Saturday against the New Jersey Devils.

Chabot was one of the last players off the ice Thursday and didn’t suit up versus the Florida, but if he doesn’t face the Devils, he’ll likely play Sunday in Washington.

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He missed his fourth straight game with a lower-body injury that also forced him to sit out five games last month.

“It’s getting better and better every day. I just started skating in the last two or three days and I’m slowly picking up the skates and everything,” Chabot said. “It’s been reacting pretty good so hopefully I can play Saturday.”

Chabot left the club’s game against the Sabres on March 27.

“It’s the same injury I had earlier,” he said. “With the schedule we have it’s busy at this time of year and you’re trying to recover as quickly as you can. You go back out there and you run the risk of hurting again.

“It’s the same as any other injury and that’s what happened here. We’re being a bit more careful this time around.”

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Chabot missed 10 games early in the year with a broken hand and, only two games after his return, he caught his leg in a rut. That forced him to miss another month. He has suited up for just 44 of the club’s 75 games.

“This has been one of those years where I’ve never been hurt as much in my life as I have been this season,” Chabot said. “A lot of it is about staying on the right track off the ice, in the gym and on the ice.

“I’m just staying positive. There’s worse cases than me around the league, but the hardest part is knowing that you’re hurt again and going through the rehab (process) one more time. That’s part of the game and you’ve just got to keep doing it.”

That’s why it’s important to play before the end of the season.

“I’ve always been someone that if I can play I’m going to play for sure,” Chabot said. “There’s no way I would just sit out for no reason. I’ve missed a lot of hockey this year.

“There’s nothing worse than sitting up there watching the guys because whether they win or lose you still want to be out there with them.”

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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