Can Claude Giroux catch Flyers icon Bobby Clarke? It’s unlikely, but far from impossible

The math is against Claude Giroux one day surpassing Bobby Clarke as the top scorer in Flyers history, but it’s not impossible.

Giroux, 33, moved past Brian Propp and into third place on the franchise’s all-time list Sunday, scoring a pair of late goals in the Flyers’ 4-3 shootout win over dazed New Jersey. That gave him 850 career points.

Up next: Bill Barber, who finished with 883 points. Giroux should pass him next season.

After that, it will be a huge challenge to catch the iconic Clarke, who finished with 1,210 points in a 15-year career, all with the Flyers, and helped lead the team to Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and 1975. He retired at 34 after the 1983-84 season.

Giroux, a center/left winger, was asked after Monday’s practice if he ever looked at Clarke’s total and thought it was something he could achieve.

“I think in life, you try to put goals up there, even if they’re hard to achieve,” said Giroux, who received loud stick taps from his teammates as they gathered around him at the end of Monday’s practice, saluting him for Sunday’s feat. “Bobby Clarke had an amazing career. He’s a Hall of Famer, and that’s a lot of points to get there.”

Giroux is under contract until the end of next season, and he said Monday he would like to finish his career with the Flyers.

“I think when you have a chance to play with one organization your whole career, it’s something to be proud of,” he said. “And this organization has a great reputation, and since I’m here, they’ve treated me great. If I can [stay], that would great.”

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A contract extension seems likely, though it won’t be in the same neighborhood as the deal he signed in 2013 — an eight-year extension for $66.2 million ($8.275 million annual cap hit).

Assuming Giroux finishes this season with, say, 855 career points, that would leave him 355 points shy of Clarke.

If he played six more years, he would need to average 59 points per season to get to Clarke’s 1,210.

“Lot of factors go into it, but if he stays healthy, I think he can get there,” defenseman Justin Braun said Monday.

This year, Giroux has 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 46 games. He missed two games because of the coronavirus. He would be on pace for 60 points if this was an 82-game season, but teams are playing just 56 games because of the pandemic-altered schedule.

“He’s one of the most competitive human beings out there,” center Sean Couturier said.

Giroux, the longest-tenured athlete on the current Philadelphia pro sports scene, will turn 34 on Jan. 12. If he averaged 60 points and played six more seasons with the Flyers, he would be 39 years old when he passed Clarke. If he played more than six more seasons, he could average fewer points per season and pass Clarke.

A player’s production, of course, usually dips if he is still playing in his late 30s, and it would be a great accomplishment for a player to average 60 points from the ages of 34 to 39. Many players battle injuries at that stage of their careers, reducing their production.

Here are some former NHL stars, along with one still active (Patrick Marleau), and the points they averaged in the six seasons after they turned 34. Some of the averages were lowered because injuries cost them a significant amount of games.

While Clarke’s Flyers were perennial Stanley Cup contenders during an era that had far fewer teams, Philadelphia has struggled to make the playoffs during Giroux’s tenure. The Flyers made the playoffs in each of his first three full seasons, but will have missed the playoffs in five of the last nine years.

Coach Alain Vigneault said Giroux’s intensity and passion make him a great role model and leader for his teammates. That said, the Flyers haven’t followed his lead too often.

This year’s team is just 22-19-7 and hasn’t come close to matching expectations.

“It’s definitely frustrating to be a part of that and be in that situation right now,” Giroux said of the struggles this year. “We believed we were a playoff team, and to not even be in the race at this point in the season is very disappointing. Last year, we took a huge step forward, and we weren’t able to get that momentum from last year and keep winning games.”

Giroux has done his part. His teammates? Not so much.