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Samuel Girard

Trade Rumors: Kessel, Hertl, Girard

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After months and months of speculation, the constant trade talk surrounding Jack Eichel is finally over after the star Buffalo Sabres center was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this month. So where does the trade market go from here? Though still early in the season, there is thought to be some trade chatter ongoing between teams who expected different results early on this year, whether that is a surprise contender looking to load up, a struggling preseason favorite in need of a shake-up, or a bottom-dweller looking to move talent as soon as possible to maximize the return. The Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy and Matt Larkin recently broke down the trade market and believe the top available name could be the product of that latter scenario. The pair feel that Phil Kessel is set to step into Eichel’s shoes, not only as a major name on the block but also as a player that is guaranteed to be traded. The 1-13-1 Arizona Coyotes have all the makings of a last-place team and Kessel is an aging veteran and respected champion on an expiring deal; the fit is poor and should be resolved soon rather than waiting until the deadline whilst Kessel plays meaningless games and risks injury for the ’Yotes. The scoring winger should be attractive to any number of teams and Arizona could take the first impressive futures package offered to them to further their rebuild.

  • Though mentioned by Kennedy and Larkin as a top trade chip, piling on top of plenty of recent speculation, Tomas Hertl may not be as guaranteed to move as people have been led to believe. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz writes in a recent mailbag that Hertl seems be enjoying this season more than last. A winning record so far certainly helps, but Hertl is also appreciative of his growing role as a team leader amidst a culture turnaround in San Jose. Kurz believes that Hertl has a 50/50 chance of signing an extension with the Sharks, which doesn’t even speak to his likelihood of being traded. If the team continues to win and stays in the playoff picture all season and the possibility of a renewed deal between the two sides remains, Hertl may not move after all. There are some cap management factors working against a deal for both team and player, with the Sharks’ restrictions limiting Hertl’s contract potential and making such a move more risky for San Jose, but if the team is playing well and Hertl is happy, producing, and leading the young locker room, it will be difficult for the Sharks to opt for a trade instead of working toward an extension.
  • Meanwhile, Kennedy and Larkin do not mention Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard as top trade bait, but his name has been a fixture on the rumor mill in recent days. According to Mike Chambers of The Denver Post, the Avs made a late run at Eichel and floated Girard as the centerpiece of the deal. Now, even with Eichel off the market, Chambers believes that GM Joe Sakic is still willing to part ways with Girard. Though young and offensively gifted, Girard has some glaring defensive weaknesses that Colorado would rather not deal with given his $5MM cap hit. Girard is still an elite defenseman, but the well-balanced Avs are looking to use that cap space in a different way, if at all possible, by landing another elite forward. With phenom Cale Makar locked up long-term, a number of reliable veterans in support, and other promising young defenders like Bowen Byram and Justin Barron, the team could survive the loss of Girard if it means adding another difference-maker to their top-heavy forward corps. If the Avalanche continue to fall short of expectations this season, it will only serve to fuel a potential shake-up with Girard as the most likely trade victim.

Central Notes: Girard, Forsberg, Blues

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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.

Injury Notes: Saad, Girard, Kraken, Johnson

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St. Louis Blues forward Brandon Saad is skating Saturday after spending the past nine days on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list, per Blues reporter Chris Pinkert. Saad is expected to return to the lineup for their Wednesday game against the Los Angeles Kings. He’s ineligible to play in Saturday night’s game versus the Chicago Blackhawks. It appears to be a huge boost for the Blues, who are also without captain Ryan O’Reilly as he was placed on the COVID-19 protocol list on October 26. Saad had two points in three games before being placed in the protocol, but his absence has caused him to miss the last three (that number will be made four tonight). In his absence, younger forwards such as Klim Kostin and Jake Neighbours have gotten extended looks in the lineup.

Other injury notes from around the league on Saturday:

  • Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports defenseman Samuel Girard will return to the lineup for tonight’s home game against the Minnesota Wild. Expected to play on a pairing with Erik Johnson, it’s another step closer to full health for a Colorado blueline that’s faced injuries to their best two left-shot defensemen early on this season. Girard missed Colorado’s last two games after suffering an injury on a hit from the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos at the end of a game on October 23.
  • Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol issued injury updates today on forward Mason Appleton and goaltender Chris Driedger. Appleton was placed on injured reserve today and is now out indefinitely, while Driedger is now labeled as day-to-day. Kraken reporter Bob Condor relays information that Driedger practiced today, and could potentially work his way into game action as the Kraken have a back-to-back this Sunday and Monday. Appleton was in the midst of a rough start to his Kraken tenure, posting just one assist in seven games and playing just 11:14 per game.
  • The Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope reports that Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson suffered an apparent arm or wrist injury during the team’s 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday and is expected to miss Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues, if not more time. Johnson was playing in a top-line role, flanking Kirby Dach along with Dominik Kubalik prior to the injury with Patrick Kane in COVID-19 protocol. Johnson’s scored one goal and two assists in eight games this season. Forward Dylan Strome could draw into the lineup tonight in his place.

Snapshots: Scott, Belzile, Girard

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The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that goaltending prospect Ian Scott will be out for six months following hip surgery, an unfortunate outcome in what was supposed to be his first professional season. The reigning CHL Goaltender of the Year, Scott hasn’t played a single game for the Toronto Marlies or Newfoundland Growlers this season.

Toronto has been desperately trying to find an answer for their backup goaltending position this season, but there is still a huge gap between Scott, fellow prospect Joseph Woll and starter Frederik Andersen. Michael Hutchinson and Kasimir Kaskisuo have been used, but neither one has secured a single win this season. Scott is expected to be ready for training camp, but missing an entire season of development isn’t ideal.

  • The Montreal Canadiens have their own injured minor leaguer, as today it was announced that Alex Belzile will miss six months following pectoral surgery. Belzile has played in 20 games for the Laval Rocket this season and has 14 points, but will be shut down at this point. Charles Hudon is also dealing with a lower-body injury and will not travel with the Rocket.
  • Samuel Girard has escaped suspension after sending Alex DeBrincat flying last night, instead earning just a fine from the Department of Player Safety. Girard will pay $1,957.89, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for boarding DeBrincat.

Central Notes: Spurgeon, Koivu, Thomas, Avalanche, Copp

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The Minnesota Wild announced earlier today they signed Jared Spurgeon to a seven-year, $53MM extension that will kick in during the 2020-21 season. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that Spurgeon’s deal has a no movement clause this year as well as the first four years of the first contract. After that, Spurgeon has a 10-team modified no-trade clause for the final three years, which will kick in during the 2024-25 season.

  • Sticking with the Wild, Minnesota got some good news about injured forward Mikko Koivu, who had surgery to repair a torn ACL back in February. The 36-year-old, who was expected to be eased back into practices and scrimmages in training camp, told coach Bruce Boudreau that he’s ready and is expected to participate in scrimmages on Monday, according to StarTribune’s Sarah McLellan. Koivu was cleared for practice on Thursday, but now looks like he’s ready for full play. He scored eight goals and 29 points in 47 games last season before going down with the knee injury.
  • NHL.com’s Lou Korac reports that the St. Louis Blues have been without forward Robert Thomas for a second straight day as he recovers from offseason surgery to repair a tendon in his left wrist. He and Jordan Kyrou, out with a knee injury, are expected to be brought back slowly from their injuries. “We’ve got them in that third group right now,” Blues head coach Craig Berube said. “We’ve got to be a little cautious with them right now.”
  • BSN Denver’s A.J. Haefele writes that Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar had quite a few positive to point out after Day 2 of training camp. Bednar pointed out quite a bit of improvement in the play of winger Andre Burakovsky and the standout play of A.J. Greer and the impressive leaderships skills of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. He also said that he believes that the next step for defenseman Samuel Girard is his offensive game. The 21-year-old scored four goals and 27 points last season. While both were career highs, Bednar would like to see those numbers rise this season.
  • The Athletic’s Ken Wiebe reports that the Winnipeg Jets are without a few player at the moment. The team has been without forward Andrew Copp due to a minor groin injury, while Kristian Vesalainen and Sami Niku were stiff Saturday after being in a fender-bender on Friday. They should return soon.

 

Central Notes: Colorado’s Defense, Little, Kiviranta

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After impressive performances on the ice at their rookie tournament over the past two days, the Colorado Avalanche dream of a dominant group of franchise defensemen are much closer than they had initially imagined. The team already has two established cornerstones on defense in Samuel Girard and Cale Makar, but the play of 2019 first-round pick Bowen Byram and 2017 second-rounder Conor Timmins suggest they might be closer to join the other two sooner rather than later, according to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.

Both will be with the team on Friday when training camp begins. Byram will have to prove that he’s ready for the challenges of the NHL already as a recently-turned 18-year-old. He broke out in a big way in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants, scoring 26 goals and 71 points, but he either must make the Avalanche or be returned to Vancouver. Timmins is a different story. The 20-year-old missed the entire 2018-19 season last year after dealing with concussion-like symptoms and likely will begin the season in the AHL until he gets some game experience, but could be recalled at any time if Colorado needs him.

  • One story that has been an issue for years in Winnipeg has been the Jets’ need to establish a No. 2 center. The team has gone with veteran Bryan Little over the years only to acquire a second-line center at the trade deadline the previous two years in Paul Stastny back in 2018 and Kevin Hayes in 2019. Unfortunately, due to cap issues, the Jets were unable to retain either player and are once again on the lookout for someone internally to step up into that role. For Little, the job remains his to lose. The 31-year-old’s numbers continue to decline little by little, scoring 15 goals and 41 points (his least productive season since 2009-10), but he remains the top option, according to Winnipeg Free Press’ Mike McIntyre. The only other options look to be Andrew Copp and Jack Roslovic, both of which seem like longshots to claim that role.
  • The Dallas Stars have a number of young prospects who might have a chance to make their opening day roster, including prospects Ty Dellandrea, Jason Robertson, Denis Gurianov and Riley Tufte amongst many. However, the Stars might have another player who could step up after Joel Kiviranta scored a hat trick against the New York Rangers squad Saturday, suggesting that the recently signed forward out of Finland could make an immediate impact for Dallas, according to NHL.com’s Mike Heika. The 23-year-old Kiviranta  is still adjusting to the smaller North American ice, but has a lot of experience playing amongst men in Finland after five years there. He has tallied 35 goals over the past two years there.

Central Notes: Girard, Dach, Honka, Robertson

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The seven-year, $35MM contract that Samuel Girard signed with the Colorado Avalanche earlier this week as a sign that the team has found an heir apparent for recently traded Tyson Barrie. While the team has a ton of talent in Cale Makar, as well as the 2019 fourth-overall pick in Bowen Byram, the Avalanche believe they have a top-four defenseman in their 21-year-old.

In fact, The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required) writes that he believes that general manager Joe Sakic believes strongly that the 162-pound Girard is ready for a full-time role this season as their top defender, which is a big task to take on. Barrie averaged 24:11 in the playoffs last year, while Girard averaged almost five minutes below that. However, the team believes he will take his game up a notch and make his seven-year deal a steal of a signing in the future.

  • Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago writes in a mailbag column that he wonders whether the Chicago Blackhawks will seriously consider keeping 2019 third-overall pick Kirby Dach on the roster entering the season. Last year, the top four draft picks in the 2018 draft made their respective teams in the NHL, and Chicago does have an opening for a third-line center which could be a perfect match. Of course, much of that decision will come down to how Dach performs at training camp as well as how many minutes he might play as Dach is used to being a top-minutes player on his junior team.
  • In his latest mailbag, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Dallas Stars may have trouble moving defenseman Julius Honka, who the team was expected to move this offseason. Shapiro believes the team is hoping to get a fourth-round pick for the 2014 first-rounder who has fallen out of favor in Dallas, but he writes that many teams believe that they can just get the blue liner off of waivers at the start of the season as its highly unlikely that Dallas will keep Honka on their roster.
  • Sticking with the Stars, Matthew DeFranks of SportsDay writes in a mailbag column that he believes that while Jason Robertson could be an excellent addition to the Dallas Stars team, he doubts that Robertson will play more than a handful of games with the Stars next season. The 20-year-old is turning pro this season after Dallas selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft and saw him net 48 goals and 117 points in 62 games in the OHL last season. Franks writes that Robertson will spend most of next season in the AHL with the Texas Stars as he learns to adjust to the pro game.

Samuel Girard Signs Seven-Year Extension

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The Colorado Avalanche have locked up one of their young defensemen before he ever gets close to restricted free agency. Samuel Girard has signed a seven-year extension which will keep him under contract through the 2026-27 season. Girard is on the final year of his entry-level contract currently. PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry a $5MM salary in each year with no signing bonuses, and includes a nine-team no-trade clause the final three seasons.

While it is easy to see how much skill Girard possesses, this contract does come with its fair share of risk for the Avalanche. The 21-year old defenseman was acquired as part of the Matt Duchene trade in 2017 and has played 150 games for Colorado so far in his young career. He has just 47 points in those games including 27 last season despite getting ample powerplay time and averaging close to 20 minutes a game. The undersized puck-mover has tremendous skating ability and offensive upside, but hasn’t quite been able to reach the lofty expectations put on him when he came over from the Nashville Predators.

Still, there’s reason to be excited for the Avalanche. He turned 21 just over two months ago and has already proven he can at worst be a capable middle-pairing defender on a playoff team. If the offense does ever click or if he continues to develop in his own end a $5MM cap hit could be a bargain down the line. The deal buys out three unrestricted free agent seasons and takes him to age-29, essentially covering his entire prime at a fixed salary. That kind of cost certainty is valuable, especially for a team like Colorado that has so much uncertainty still to come. Mikko Rantanen is still unsigned and could be looking at a huge contract, while others like Cale Makar and Tyson Jost will need new deals down the line. Even captain Gabriel Landeskog only has two years remaining on his current contract, meaning the Avalanche needed some locked in numbers to build around moving forward.

That $5MM cap hit will give Girard something to live up to however and put even more pressure on the young defenseman. With Erik Johnson and Ian Cole out with injuries to start the season there will be huge responsibility placed on Girard and fellow youngster Makar. For a team that expects to compete for the Stanley Cup this season they need Girard to take another step forward in his development.

The contract gives the Avalanche 11 players signed to one-way contracts for the 2020-21 season. They have committed more than $48MM in those deals.

Central Notes: Blues’ Defense, Perreault, Girard, Makar

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The St. Louis Blues have had quite a bit going right for them and while much of the team’s success could easily be handed to goaltender Jordan Binnington, one key reason the team won both games in Winnipeg is the play of their top defensive pair, Colton Parayko and Jay Bouwmeester, according to The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required).

The pair are being used to stop the Jets’ top line of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Blake Wheeler and have played more than 25 minutes matched up against that line in 5-on-5 play. Wheeler does have one goal on four shots in that span, but both Scheifele and Connor have each tallied just two shots combined in those situations.

“Fairly well,” Bouwmeester said when asked how the Blues have defended the group. “We had some breakdowns, and they had some chances. There were some odd-man rushes and things like that. They’ve got skilled guys and guys who don’t need a lot of room to get good chances. Bottom line is I think whoever’s going to control the puck and control the play is going to control what they give up.”

  • Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun reports that there will be just one change in the Winnipeg Jets’ lineup for Sunday’s Game 3 in St. Louis against the Blues. The Jets will bring Mathieu Perreault back into the lineup after the veteran missed Game 2 with an undisclosed injury and Par Lindholm will become a healthy scratch. Perreault hadn’t missed a game this season until Friday. “We’re going to need more of that (secondary scoring) if we want to have any kind of chance of coming back in this series,” said Perreault. “Whoever I’m playing with today, our line, the third and fourth line, we’ve got to find a way to make sure we don’t get scored on, and then chip in a goal here and there to try and help the team win.”
  • A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver reports that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard is still being evaluated after leaving Saturday night’s game against Calgary in overtime after taking a hit from Sam Bennett. However, the scribe reports that he is a possibility to play. Girard played 22:05 of ice time in Game 2 and would be a huge loss if he wasn’t able to go.
  • Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reports that recently signed defenseman Cale Makar is expected to be at the team’s morning practice Saturday and could get into the lineup immediately. Dater adds that he gets the impression that Makar will be in the lineup even though head coach Jared Bednar has not made any announcements. The team’s first-rounder in 2017 will have to be protected for the Seattle expansion draft if he even plays one playoff game this season. However, it looks as if the Avalanche are willing to do that.

One Year Later: Matt Duchene Will Dictate The Senators’ Future

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A year ago today, the Ottawa Senators made a three-team deal with the Colorado Avalanche and the Nashville Predators. Since then, names like Erik Karlsson, Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, Evander Kane, and Tomas Tatar (twice) have all been traded. Yet, it’s that November 5th deal that is still the most memorable recent trade for many, due to both the immediate impact and the lasting results.

In that trade, Ottawa – at a contract impasse with center Kyle Turris – dealt he, first-round prospect forward Shane Bowers, goaltender Andrew Hammond, a first-round pick, and a third-round pick to Colorado. The Avs then flipped Turris to Nashville for defenseman Samuel Girard, forward Vladislav Kamenev, and a second-round pick. It was quite a haul for Colorado and they have yet to even use either of Ottawa’s picks, including a likely lottery pick in the first round next year. The Predators meanwhile signed Turris to a six-year extension and he has 53 points in 79 games since joining the team. The return for all of this for the Senators? Matt Duchene, who a year later is in limbo with an expiring contract and a team that is far from the contender he was promised.

As TSN’s Ian Mendes notes, Senators GM Pierre Dorion was coming off a 2016-17 season that saw his team make a run to the Eastern Conference final. When he acquired Duchene, he thought it could be the final piece of the puzzle to get them back and through that third round of the playoffs. Instead, Ottawa sunk to the second-worst record in the NHL. It’s too late to reverse that trade or the events of last season. The team could have simply traded Turris for picks and prospects at the deadline, as Mendes points out, and certainly could have found a deal for a top-six forward this off-season that was far less expensive. Their first-round pick in 2019 could be first overall, franchise center Jack Hughes, and there’s nothing they could do. Boston University standout Bowers could blossom into a top-line forward, but there’s no recourse for that. The only element of the trade left in the control of Dorion and the Senators is the future of Duchene and with it potentially the future of the team.

Ottawa is faced with two choices this season: pay Duchene or trade him. The 2009 third overall pick carries a $6MM cap hit on his current contract. If he were to hit the open market, he would certainly be due a raise. Duchene’s alleged reason for wanting out of Colorado last season was ironically that he didn’t want to play through a rebuild. If that is still his mindset, it would take a substantial sum from the Senators to keep him around. Owner Eugene Melnyk has been unwilling to pay his better player their fair value, leading to the Karlsson trade and likely more moves to come. Will he make an exception for Duchene? If not, the Senators need to move Duchene and sooner rather than later. The trade deadline will be the final opportunity to trade the star center, who will have a long list of suitors, but his value drops each day leading up to that point. Dorion will likely never get back a package commensurate with what he gave up for Duchene, but his best chance to get close is to trade him as soon as possible to the highest bidder.

Either option serves to benefit the Senators. Duchene may not be a superstar, but he is a talented, well-rounded player who is capable of leading Ottawa out of the basement if provided with at least a little support. On the other side, the team cannot escape the reality of their own rebuild and could greatly use the trade capital that they would gain from a Duchene trade. The worst case scenario – and a veritable death knell for the franchise – would be to make neither decision, opting not to trade Duchene and waiting and hoping for an extension agreement only to watch him walk away in free agency. One year later, this notorious trade is still so prevalent around the NHL. The Senators should celebrate the anniversary by making another major move with Duchene – a new contract or another trade – as soon as humanly possible.

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