The Colorado Avalanche did not wait for very long after the trade freeze was lifted. In a move to address potential depth issues on defense, the Avalanche have acquired veteran defenseman Brett Kulak from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The 32-year-old defenseman has registered one goal and seven points in 25 games with the Penguins after being acquired in an earlier trade with the Edmonton Oilers. In 31 games with the Oilers during the 2025-26 season, Kulak registered two assists while averaging 17:42 of ice time. Since moving to Pittsburgh, his ice time has increased to an average of 20:20. The Penguins also acquired a second round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
Going the other way is defenseman Samuel Girard. The 27-year-old defenseman has been averaging just 17:41 per night, his lowest since his rookie season with the Avalanche. Offensively, he has been decent with three goals and 12 points in 40 games so far.
Cap Move for the Avalanche?
The most interesting aspect of this comes from the salary cap side of things. Girard is in the sixth year of a seven-year deal that comes with a $5.0 million cap hit. Kulak, meanwhile, is set to be an unrestricted free agent and carries a $2.5 million cap hit for this season.
The Avalanche had a little wiggle room to play with (roughly $6.49 million) but this frees up another $2.5 million. With nearly $9 million in cap space, could they be preparing to take a bigger swing at the trade deadline?
Related: THW’s 2026 Trade Deadline Tracker
Trading Girard isn’t the most shocking thing in the world; he seemed like the odd man out coming into the season. The emergence of Sam Malinkski as a reliable top four contributor – not to mention the solid job Brent Burns has done – only added to that speculation.
Kulak brings a veteran presence to the defense and has been part of the last two Edmonton teams to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
The Avalanche may not be quite done yet as they have often been attached to a plethora of trade candidates at the deadline. The Avalanche currently lead the NHL with 83 points but are feeling pressure from the surging Minnesota Wild in the Central Division.
