One team looks to mess up Claude Giroux blockbuster trade!

All eyes are on Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux who is expected to waive his no-movement clause to join a Stanley Cup contender. His preference, as he informed Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher, is to be moved to the Colorado Avalanche, however, other teams remain in the mix to offer the best deal in return for the star player.

At the moment, there is still no sign that the Flyers have set their minds on a suitable trade partner and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period believes the Florida Panthers are pushing to win the sweepstakes.

Giroux will play his 1,000th career game as a Flyer on Thursday against the Nashville Predators, which is an important milestone for him, but after that all bets are off. And that’s when the Panthers could decide to move. Paul Bissonnette wonders if the Cats are only trying to mess up the Avalanche’s plans to acquire Giroux and be a real menace in the postseason to which Pagnotta replied that he could be part of it : the Panthers wouldn’t want to face the Avs in the Stanley Cup final with Giroux on the opposing roster.

And on top of that, Florida is all in.

There is a fit for the Flyers moving their captain to Florida. There are rumors linking Giroux to the Panthers, suggesting the Flyers may have been scouting Owen Tippett.

The Avalanche is expected to be aggressive to land Giroux, especially with Gabriel Landeskog ($7-million annual cap hit) and Samuel Girard ($5 million) sidelined for weeks.

However, the Panthers might have other plans in mind. This is the one to watch this trade deadline.