The departure of now-former Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk still stings in Ottawa after he was traded over a week ago. And the Sens are bracing themselves for another mainstay leaving their team.The Senators say they’re keeping the door open for pending UFA Claude Giroux to return, as the team has let other aging free-agent veterans — namely Lars Eller and Nick Jensen — sign elsewhere. However, Giroux could reunite with the Philadelphia Flyers, the team that drafted him at No. 22 during the 2006 draft. Giroux spent 15 seasons with the Flyers, playing 1,000 NHL games with the franchise and scoring 291 goals and 900 points.According to Senators GM Steve Staios, that door’s been open since the March trade deadline. The Sens say they’ve been in a holding pattern waiting on Giroux to decide on his future.“I think we’ve stated how much we want him back. We’ve been unwavering in our message to him,” Staios said on Wednesday. “(We) offered him a contract as far back as before the trade deadline. (He) wanted to take a look around in free agency, but hasn’t closed the door to come back to Ottawa.“For us, there’s also a reason why I’m not active today. Obviously, that spot is reserved for him, and I’m eagerly anticipating waiting to have a conversation with him.”Who are the top five NHL players to hit free agency?On Tuesday, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that Giroux would hit the free-agent market after spending four seasons with the Sens while keeping the door open for Ottawa. Giroux signed with Ottawa as a free agent in July 2022 and, following his initial three-year deal expiring, signed a one-year, bonus-filled $2 million contract extension last summer with up to $2.75 million in performance bonuses. This past year, Giroux scored 14 goals and 49 points while also finishing the season as the NHL’s best faceoff man with a 63.1 percent rate.