Full details of Claude Giroux trade paint an ugly picture for the Flyers.

The Philadelphia Flyers have traded one of the best players to ever play for their franchise, and the return that they have netted themselves for that trade has left many fans in Philly feeling more than a little disappointed.

First let's break down the full details of the trade.

To the Florida Panthers:

Claude Giroux (Flyers retain 50% of Giroux's $8.275 million cap hit).

5th round pick at the 2024 National Hockey League entry Draft.

Connor Bunnaman.

German Rubtsov.

To the Philadelphia Flyers:

1st round pick at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

3rd round pick at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Owen Tippett.

The immediate reaction to a trade of this nature is that the Flyers did not secure enough of a return for their star forward, especially considering some of the returns we've already seen this weekend.

On Friday we saw the  Chicago Blackhawks  give up Brandon Hagel, admittedly a younger player with term, and a pair of 4th round picks for a pair of first round picks as well as forwards Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Today we saw the Anaheim Ducks give up Hampus Lindholm (50% salary retained) to the Boston Bruins netting a huge return of a 1st round pick at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, a 2rd round pick at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, a 2nd round pick at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft Urho Vaakanainen, Kodie Curran and John Moore.

When you consider that, in the eyes of many, Giroux was the biggest name available on the trading block ahead of Monday's NHL trade deadline the return the Flyers netted for him seems like a pittance by comparison. Some have been quick to point to the fact that Tippett himself was a 1st round pick (10th overall) at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft but the reality is that he has struggled to establish himself in the NHL. There were even reports that the Flyers were not particularly high on Tippett, who was sent down to the AHL for 12 games this season in the final year of his entry level contract.

While many fans will be quick to be critical of the Flyers for this trade, and perhaps rightfully so, it is important to remember that there were some serious mitigating factors in this deal. The biggest of those was the fact that Giroux controlled his own destiny with a full no movement clause, with reports recently indicating that Giroux's prefered destination was the Florida Panthers.

This week NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared some details on how that complicated matters for the Flyers.

"The thing is I think they like Colorado's offer better than the Panther's offer," revealed Friedman. "I think the Panthers are sitting here saying, 'we know we're kind of in the driver's seat here so why should we pay too much of a price?' I think Philly understands that to some degree but they're also like 'we can't let you grind us that badly.'"

Friedman even warned at the time that fans in Philadelphia could end up disappointed in the return the Flyers would receive for Giroux, given the direction he believed the team would take in this deal. After seeing the return today it would appear that he was correct in his assessment of the situation.

"At the end of the day I think it might not be what the Flyers' fans hope to see, because I think the Flyers will send him to Florida," said Friedman. "But I do think the Flyers feel the Panthers have been too... tight fisted on the offers they want to make and I think Philly wants to make them a little bit better."

Flyers reporter Charlie O'Connor has since confirmed that Giroux would only waive his no movement clause to go to Florida, effectively handcuffing the Flyers in this trade.

Giroux was not only the biggest trade target leading up to the deadline he was also arguably the most productive forward up for grabs. In 57 games this season he had 18 goals and 24 assists for a combined 42 points for the Flyers, numbers that look all the more impressive when you take into account how poorly the team played around him. That combined with the fact that the Flyers retained 50% of his salary and gave up several additional assets to Florida as a part of this deal will make it a bitter pill to swallow for fans of the Flyers organization.

The reaction from fans in Philadelphia has thus far been one of predictable disappointment, with several fans lamenting both the trade and the work of general manager Chuck Fletcher in making this deal a reality. Here are just a few examples: