Flyers' Giroux to have splint removed Monday

NEW YORK -- The splint protecting Claude Giroux's surgically repaired right index finger runs almost up to his elbow, but the Philadelphia Flyers captain won't be wearing it for too much longer.

Giroux, who needed surgery in August to repair two damaged tendons, told NHL.com Friday during a stop at the NHL offices in Manhattan for the League's annual Player Media Tour that the next step in his recovery comes Monday, when he has the splint removed.

The injury occurred during a golf outing near Giroux's home in Ottawa, when a club he was swinging broke in half, with part of the club cutting into his finger.

"I swung and the club broke in the grip," he said. "The club was in the grass and stuck there and my hand was still going. I was following through, and that's when the shaft went into my hand."

Giroux, the Flyers’ No. 1 center, had surgery the day the injury happened, Aug. 15, and at the time it was estimated he would need 5-6 weeks to rehabilitate. However, Giroux has started skating and said he hopes to get into more than one preseason game.

The Flyers open training camp Sept. 12 and their first preseason game is Sept. 15 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in London, Ontario.

Giroux is coming off a season when he led the Flyers with 48 points in 48 games, but the team missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time since 1994, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference. He said he's focused on being the player who finished third in the League in 2011-12 with 93 points, and helping his team get back to the postseason.

"We as a team have a lot of things to prove, and we're all confident that we have a good team and we can start winning games," he said.

Follow Adam Kimelman on Twitter: @NHLAdamK