We have our first post-Olympics trade. Earlier this afternoon, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche linked up on a deal that sent Brett Kulak to the Avalanche and Samuel Girard to the Penguins. The Penguins also received a 2028 second-round pick for taking on the remainder of Girard’s contract. There doesn’t appear to be any retention on either side of the trade. Here are the full details:
Avalanche receive:
- Kulak
Penguins receive:
- Girard
- 2028 second-round pick
Kulak is in the final year of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Meanwhile, Girard is signed through next season at a cap hit of $5 million. The Penguins keep retooling their roster by adding another young defenseman with upside. As for the Avalanche, they shore up their blue line ahead of a potential Cup run.
Dubas Does It Again
Usually, I like to start these articles with the buyer’s perspective, but the Penguins are getting the more intriguing player. Girard is an undersized defenseman and has had his ups and downs, but he’s not a bad player by any stretch. He has struggled this season, but a change of scenery could do him well.
When Girard is on his game, he’s one of the better offensive defensemen in the NHL. He’s a high-end passer, and he excels in transition. He can get the puck up the ice to his team’s forwards, and he doesn’t chip the puck off the glass to escape the defensive zone. He will get it out with possession if he can.
Where Girard struggles is defending the rush. That’s not a surprise, given he’s an undersized defenseman, but it’s why he needs to play a bottom-four, sheltered role. If put in a position to succeed, he can be an effective No. 4-5 defenseman for the Penguins who chips in a bit of offense from the back end.
There’s really nothing to nitpick about this trade from the Penguins’ perspective. They dealt away a third-pair defensive defenseman for a younger blueliner with more offensive upside. It perfectly fits the mold of what Kyle Dubas is trying to do as he retools the Penguins’ roster. Combined with the second-round pick they added to an already stacked cupboard of draft capital, this is a big-time win for the Penguins.
Penguins grade: A
Avalanche Opt for a Different Look
Just because the Penguins are the winners of this trade doesn’t mean the Avalanche did poorly. Girard’s name has been in the rumor mill for quite some time, and a change of scenery is probably beneficial for both parties. They’re acquiring a different type of defenseman in Kulak, but he should help shore up their depth.
Kulak won’t provide much offense, but he is an underrated puck-moving blueliner. He’s effective in transition and will exit the defensive zone with puck possession with great efficiency. One area where he has a clear advantage over Girard is defending the rush. Kulak is a stout rush defender, so he will improve the Avalanche’s defense in that regard.
Related: Avalanche Acquire Brett Kulak From the Penguins
Another area where Kulak should provide an upgrade is in defensive zone retrievals. It’s no surprise that Girard struggled to defend dump and chase, given that he’s 5-foot-9, but Kulak has the frame and track record to suggest he will handle defensive zone puck retrievals better than Girard.
The Avalanche did pay a high price to acquire Kulak. However, they’ve been looking to move Girard for quite some time, and they still get a defensive defenseman who will provide them a bit of a different look than Girard. They also saved $2.25 million on their salary cap books, so they likely have other moves in the works ahead of next week’s trade deadline.
Avalanche Grade: B+
Advanced stats from Hockey Stats (JFresh)
