The Philadelphia Flyers have entered a new era, one without Claude Giroux. We don’t know if he will be back or if he is going to sign with a new team after the season to try and chase Stanley Cups. One thing we do know is that this team has a number of promising young players that the Flyers can build the future around.
Giroux spoke before he was traded about Joel Farabee, one of the promising young Flyers, and endorsed him by saying “this guy will break all of my records.” That is a tall order but also gives some hope for the coming years in Philadelphia. Indeed, Farabee is a great young player and has broken into the NHL earlier than many may have expected and made an impact.
With the right pieces around him and the continued growth we’ve seen, Farabee could realistically break Giroux’s records if he sticks around long enough.
Early Career Comparisons
Both Farabee and Giroux had much different paths to the NHL, but that can be expected of an American and a Canadian.
Joel Farabee
Farabee went the route of the U.S. National Development Program where he spent three seasons from 2016-18. In his time there he played 56 games and scored 63 points, popping off in his final season with 40 points. As part of the 2017-18 season, his team played in 36 games in the Exhibition League that only ran for two total seasons. Farabee recorded 18 goals and 36 points in 36 games.
After his time in the program he decided to attend Boston University, but for only one year. After scoring 17 goals and 36 points in 37 games he immediately decided to turn pro the following season and join the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Flyers, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. That lasted five games until he was called up after scoring three goals and four points. Farabee has never looked back since.
Unfortunately, his first two seasons in the NHL were shortened by COVID. He only got into 52 games in 2019-20 and 55 games in 2020-21. He has always been a goal-scorer despite the lack of shot volume. The past two seasons his shooting percentage has been over 16, so he’s prioritizing high-quality shots over firing the puck any chance he gets. He took a big step forward in his second season despite it being shortened.
Claude Giroux
Giroux stayed in Canada after he was drafted and played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for two years before finally turning pro full-time. He racked up 321 points in 187 games in junior before starting the 2008-09 season in the AHL. Before that though, he had played five games in the 2006-07 season for the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL to end the season. The following year, he played two NHL games and the rest was spent in the QMJHL.
The 2008-09 season was almost split evenly between the AHL and NHL as Giroux put up 17 goals and 34 points in 33 games to start and finished the year on the Flyers recording 27 points in 42 games. That’s when his career really took off.
By his third season, Giroux scored 25 goals and put up 76 points. The fourth season is when he became a point per game player for the next three seasons and two since then. There is a way to go before Farabee sniffs any records held by Giroux, but time will tell if the Flyers can build around this young stud and put him in a position to succeed.
Giroux’s Records for Farabee to Aim For
In his quote, Giroux was obviously talking about what he has done with the Flyers’ organization and how high he is in every category after playing exactly 1000 games for the franchise. He is the only player in NHL history to play exactly 1000 games for one franchise.
To begin with, Giroux is near the top of many of the offensive leaderboards for the Flyers. It will take Farabee a long career with the organization to catch up. He is off to a good start, but he will have to develop into at least a point-per-game player, though a consistent 30-plus goal-scorer is more likely.
Giroux has…
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