Avalanche fans can't afford to ignore this explosive storyline heading into next season
Photo credit: David Zalubowski / The Associated Press
As the Colorado Avalanche prepare for what could be their most competitive campaign in years, one explosive storyline is quietly brewing beneath the surface, and fans who overlook it may miss a defining twist in the team's 2025-26 journey.
One of the biggest questions heading into the season is where the Avalanche are going to play Samuel Girard.
Avalanche fans can't ignore this major storyline next season.
Aarif Deen from Colorado Hockey Now writes that he believes the Avalanche have intentions to trade Girard. The main reason? They made a push to sign Ryan Lindgren just before July 1, but he ultimately chose the Seattle Kraken.
Lindgren was added before the trade deadline and quickly became the second-most utilized left-shot defenseman behind Devon Toews. So where exactly does that leave Girard? Were the Avalanche seriously planning to bump him down to the third pair alongside Sam Malinski? That seems hard to believe.
"But the Lindgren signing didn't happen, and they instead brought in Brent Burns. That means Girard is one of just two lefties on the back end." -Deen
Last season, Girard was the only defenseman outside of the top pair to average over 20 minutes per game, firmly establishing himself as the team's No. 3 blueliner throughout the regular season.
"In the playoffs? That was far from reality. Girard played the first two games on the third pair with Erik Johnson and was fifth in time on ice. In the remaining five games, he was with Josh Manson on the second pair but was often playing fewer minutes than Lindgren." -Deen
The Avalanche clearly envision a smaller role for Girard than in previous years, which is why I believe they're still looking to trade him.
If they weren't willing to keep Charlie Coyle on the third line at his salary, it's hard to imagine they'd keep Girard earning $5 million to play a career-low 17 minutes during the seven-game series loss to Dallas.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 31 | 20 ANSWERS Avalanche fans can't afford to ignore this explosive storyline heading into next season Where do you think defenseman Samuel Girard will slot in with the Avalanche next season? | ||
| 1st pairing | 1 | 5 % |
| 2nd pairing | 12 | 60 % |
| 3rd pairing | 7 | 35 % |
| List of polls | ||
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