Samuel Girard's fate with the Colorado Avalanche has been revealed
Photo credit: Andy Cross / The Denver Post
Yet again, Samuel Girard finds himself at the heart of trade rumours.
Trading a puck-moving defenseman who contributes on both special teams and carries a manageable contract isn't as simple, or as smart, as it might seem.
Girard's fate with the Avalanche has been revealed.
James Wilson from NHL Trade Rumors writes that even though he's a dependable top-four defenseman with a team-friendly $5 million cap hit through 2026-27, Girard's name continues to pop up in trade talks.
As the number 3 option behind Cale Makar and Devon Toews, and with concerns about his smaller stature of 5'10", 170lbs and the belief that the Avalanche need more physicality on defense, speculation around his future remains persistent.
"As Corey Masisak of The Denver Post outlines, trading Girard means finding an equally talented replacement-likely at a much higher price. The going rate for defensemen has skyrocketed, with Neal Pionk, Jakob Chychrun, and Marcus Pettersson all signing deals far pricier than Girard's." -Wilson
Although Pettersson could have been a decent replacement, his new $5.5 million cap hit makes that unlikely. Other left-shot options such as Vladislav Gavrikov, Ivan Provorov, and Dmitry Orlov are expected to demand between $6 and $7.5 million annually. In today's inflated market, Girard's deal stands out as a bargain, particularly for a cap-strapped team like the Avalanche.
"With Brock Nelson's new $7.5M deal and a handful of pending RFAs and UFAs, including Sam Malinski, Jonathan Drouin, and Ryan Lindgren, the Avalanche are tight against the cap. Even re-signing key depth players could prove challenging. If GM Chris MacFarland wants to reshape the defense's bottom four, he may need to offload salary, but dealing Girard could create a bigger hole than it fills." -Wilson
Unless the Avalanche have a clear replacement ready or intend to target a more affordable option like Nicolas Hague, trading Girard could end up fixing one problem while creating another.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 5 | 55 ANSWERS Samuel Girard's fate with the Colorado Avalanche has been revealed Do you think Samuel Girard will be traded at some point before next season? | ||
| yes | 36 | 65.5 % |
| no | 19 | 34.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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