DENVER, Colo. — The longest-tenured defenseman on the Colorado Avalanche roster is no longer Samuel Girard.
Just prior to flying out to Utah on Tuesday morning for their first game after the Olympics break, the Avalanche shook up their defense, trading Samuel Girard and a 2028 second-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Brett Kulak.
According to our news partners at The Gazette, Girard arrived in Colorado in 2017 as part of the Matt Duchene blockbuster trade and had been a mainstay on the blue line since.
With Girard gone, the longest-tenured player on the blue line is Cale Makar.
The 32-year-old Kulak had a slow start to the season in Edmonton and ended up being dealt to the Penguins in December as part of a four-player deal. His season has since turned around. He has started to play better in new surroundings.
At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, Kulak gives the Avalanche a far different look on their third pair, which had previously consisted of two smaller defensemen in Girard and Sam Malinski.
Kulak is set to meet the Avalanche in Utah and is expected to play Wednesday, said coach Jared Bednar.
“I think for us, you’re getting a big, solid (defenseman) that can skate and defend real well and move the puck,” said Bednar. “He does a lot of good things, a guy that’s been to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals and was an integral part of their blue line and what they were trying to do as a team. We like the player a lot, so we’re excited.”
Kulak has nine points and 28 penalty minutes in 56 games this season. Girard had 12 points in 40 games this season with the Avalanche.
In addition to getting bigger on the back end, the Avalanche also gained cap space. Kulak costs just $2.75 million under the cap this season while Girard carries a $5 million cap hit. That gives the Avalanche more flexibility to make additional moves prior to the March 6 trade deadline.
The addition of the second-round pick from Colorado’s end removes one of their more valuable trade assets heading into the deadline.
“In Brett, we are acquiring a two-way defenseman who can play up and down the lineup. He logs big minutes in all situations and brings a ton of playoff experience that will help our blue-line depth,” said general manager Chris MacFarland in a release.
The loss of Girard stings for those in the locker room who have known him a long time. Only Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon had been with the organization longer.
Veteran defenseman Josh Manson was paired with Girard as soon as he arrived in Denver and his locker stall at Colorado’s practice facility was right next to that of the now-Penguins defenseman.
It’s a stall that was empty when local media entered the locker room just minutes after the trade was announced.
“I’m definitely going to miss him,” said Manson of Girard. “He’s an unbelievable guy, (a) big part of this team and the success they’ve had for a long time.”
When Girard arrived in Colorado in 2017, the Avalanche were in a very different spot than they are now.
Fresh off the worst season in franchise history, Girard at just 19 years old provided a spark on defense and became the prototype for the type of defenseman the organization eventually looked to build around: smart, skilled, and most important, mobile.
Bednar had been Girard’s coach during his entire tenure in Colorado and said he hopes the change of scenery will be good for the 27-year-old.
“He’s been amazing. (Girard’s) an unbelievable teammate,” said Bednar. “He’s given us everything he’s got on a nightly basis the whole time he’s been here. … He really jumped in and helped us with our turnaround, our rebuild, all the way to a championship and then some. Personally, he went through some tough times and came out the other side a better person. He’s got a family now. He’s a great guy. I wish him nothing but the best.”
The Avalanche return to action Wednesday in Utah against the Mammoth.
The Gazette's Evan Rawal contributed to this web story.
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