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Flyers look to lock up Giroux

Though negotiations haven't started yet between the Flyers and star center Claude Giroux, look for them to begin in the coming weeks, a source close to the situation said.

Claude Giroux (28) is shown during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators, Saturday, March 2, 2013, in Philadelphia. The Flyers won, 2-1. (Michael Perez/AP)
Claude Giroux (28) is shown during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators, Saturday, March 2, 2013, in Philadelphia. The Flyers won, 2-1. (Michael Perez/AP)Read more

Though negotiations haven't started yet between the Flyers and star center Claude Giroux, look for them to begin in the coming weeks, a source close to the situation said.

Giroux, 25, will make $5 million next season, but his cap hit is $3.75 million because most of the money was backloaded in a three-year, $11.25 million contract. He can become a restricted free agent after the 2013-14 season, meaning the Flyers can match another team's offer and keep him in the fold.

But they want to lock him up with a long-term deal.

In his last three seasons, Giroux has 76 points, 93 points, and 48 points (pro-rated to 82 points in an 82-game season), respectively.

Giroux's agent, Pat Brisson, did not respond to phone calls, but he must have smiled when Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin signed an eight-year deal Thursday for $76 million. The deal starts in 2014-15 and carries an average cap hit of $9.5 million.

Giroux doesn't yet have Malkin's pedigree - the Penguins' star has an MVP award and has won two scoring titles - but he is considered one of the NHL's premier players.

If a new deal is consummated, it will undoubtedly make Giroux the Flyers' highest-paid player. Based on the market, he probably will average between $7 million and $8 million per season in a long-term deal.