The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers matchup in the first round of this past year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs was everything a hockey fan could have hoped for, unless you are a fan of good goalkeeping. Two teams that made no secret about hating one another, each fan base passionately supporting their home side whilst venom flowed freely towards their opponents.

Then there was the showcase matchup of centers, Sidney Crosby, resident NHL golden boy against Claude Giroux, the ginger-haired smirking playmaker from Philly. While Crosby was still getting his feet under him after missing almost a year with concussion-related injuries, Giroux was coming into his own as one of the elite players in the NHL.

When faced with the prospect of acquiring either of these players the most glaring factor is Crosby’s potential for injury. Sure he’s been cleared to play and he has been nothing short of spectacular since his return. However, he is realistically one accidental collision, elbow, Zamboni, stack of pancakes (wait that’s Dustin Penner), or hard hit from going back to square one.

Make no mistake, when he is right, only his teammate Geno Malkin can light up the scoreboard with comparable frequency. Crosby has vastly improved his play in both ends of the ice, and has become one of the stronger centers in the faceoff circle. You won’t see him putting up big numbers in the hits or blocked shots departments, but I think the Pens front office will prefer it that way. Before the wild card of the concussion reared its dizzying and unpredictable head, you could have penciled Sid the Kid in as your number one pick. He could still be that guy, but buyers beware.

Meanwhile at the other end of Pennsylvania, the Flyers watched their young prodigy in waiting more than fill the shoes of outgoing captain Mike Richards and sniper Jeff Carter. Listed as a center and a right wing for most of last year it will be interesting to see how Giroux is listed for the upcoming season.

I recommend you buy with confidence if you have a chance on Giroux. He had surgery (minor surgery) to fix his wrists after the Flyers bounced out of the playoffs. The loss of Jagr shouldn’t matter much from a production standpoint as Jakub Voracek is slotted to take his place on the Flyers top line.

In summary, if you have an opportunity to grab either of these guys do it without a second thought. If you have to choose between them it just comes down to a personal preference. Crosby has the potential to have better offensive numbers, but Giroux has proven to be more durable and might just be scratching the surface of his own offensive potential.

.