"Over the last few days, the symptoms have gotten gradually worse," Holmgren said. "Obviously, we're concerned. Claude is one of our better players. We're just going to err on the side of caution."
Holmgren said Giroux, who remained in Philadelphia as the Flyers traveled to Montreal late last night, will take a complete day off today before being evaluated again.
Even though the Flyers now have three key cogs in their lineup - Chris Pronger, Brayden Schenn and Giroux - out indefinitely with concussions, Holmgren did say there is a positive to Giroux' situation. For now, it's actually twofold.
One: Giroux felt better once his physical exertion slowed. Two: Giroux will not accompany Pronger to Pittsburgh today to be examined by concussion specialists, a sign that his situation might not be as serious.
"If there's any good news in this, it's that once he stopped skating, he did start to feel a little bit better," Holmgren said. "We're just going to stick with our doctors for now."
On Monday, Holmgren told a reporter in Chicago that their concern surrounding Giroux regarded a whiplash effect from Simmonds' knee. Curiously, the website CrossingBroad.com reported (with one photo, submitted by a reader) that Giroux got into a minor fender-bender in his black Chevrolet Camaro outside the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday morning before the game when he rear-ended the car in front of him.
"That wasn't related to this at all," Holmgren said, confirming the accident. "Other than that, he had a bad day."
News of Giroux' concussion comes only a day after the Penguins announced that Sidney Crosby, who missed 68 straight games between Jan. 5 and Nov. 21, will be out indefinitely again after running into teammate Chris Kunitz on Dec. 5. Crosby has helped spur hyper-awareness about concussions throughout NHL locker rooms.
