Colorado has assembled an impressive back end, a group that has been bolstered by the return of Erik Johnson and the emergence of sophomore Bowen Byram. The 20-year-old has been strong enough this season that Mike Chambers of the Denver Post suggests that blueliner Samuel Girard could plausibly be made available if the Avalanche decide to try to add to their forward group between now and the trade deadline. Girard is signed through 2026-27 with a $5MM AAV, a reasonable price for someone that consistently logs over 20 minutes per game while chipping in a little offensively as well. If the Avs were to make the 23-year-old available, he’d garner plenty of interest around the league.
More from the Central Division:
- J.P. Barry, the agent for Predators winger Filip Forsberg, confirmed to Adam Vingan of The Athletic (subscription link) that there still have been no discussions on a possible contract extension with the veteran in the final year of his deal. While Forsberg has indicated a willingness to merely play the year out and see what happens after the season, Barry added that he does expect to have those contract talks at some point during the regular season. The 27-year-old is likely eyeing a raise on his current $6MM AAV but is currently out with an upper-body injury.
- While the Blues were hoping for some cap relief in their current COVID situation, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that they won’t be receiving any: “There is not currently an intention to provide cap relief for Covid-related reasons. No different than having to deal with multiple short-term injuries. St. Louis is not at all unique in having to navigate these waters.” St. Louis has had six different players enter the protocols in recent days and while they’ve managed to carry a minimum-sized roster, any other addition or injury will place them in a situation where they’ll have to play short a player for a game before becoming eligible for a cap-exempt recall.
Not sure I can see the avalanche trading girard. With all the talent they have, fitting everyone contracts under the cap will be difficult soon. Having an above average top 4 defenseman locked up long term at a cheaper rate will be a huge benefit to them
I suppose it depends on how you view Girard. Getting that 5 mil off the books would be a huge benefit if you don’t believe the he is a top 4 defenseman. And I, for one, don’t believe he is. He consistently forces passes that result in turnovers, he gets pushed around in his own zone, and the whole league has the book on his spin move.
Getting Girard and Johnson both of the books allows you to get mackinnon done and find some better forward depth
@M34 – Make that we, for two. Those critiques of him are right out of my playbook, too. Sammy Spin-O-Rama, Pizza Server. Plays like he’s wearing the opposition’s colors most nights.
Glad to see I’m not the only one. The population here in CO, as well as the media, just love the kid. And while I wish nothing I’ll upon him, I just can’t figure out how he managed to fleece the avalanche into that God awful contract.
@M34 – Joey had an out if he had exposed him to SEA, but I doubt Ronnie Francis would have bit. Graves should have been kept, and Girard should’ve been dealt somewhere, anywhere. A prospector deal is fine if there’s enough legit data to project a big upside for a guy, but he really can’t defend. We’d be insulting a number of GMs in the league if we tried to sell him as high as a #7/8. People will say just look at this great shift, or that one, but I like to see how many of those (for him or anybody else) are clutch and difference-making.
@M34 – If the top line of this article doesn’t bring a smile to your face, I don’t know what will. I forgot what this site’s name was and had to go digging in a player’s news section on HockeyReference to stumble on it again. It’s another source of hockey info to be added to PHR (not replaced!). link to nhlrumors.com
Kings should consider Girard