Potential trade replacements for Samuel Girard (Life after Girard, Part Three of Four)

Samuel Girard: Un Atout Précieux

If there's one thing NHL clubs' execs like more than a player on a relatively team-friendly deal, it's a player on a relatively team-friendly deal and with term. The NHL salary cap continues to rise, and players' contracts are rising commensurately. Girard, who is in his prime playing years, has the rest of this season and all of next season under contract at $5mil AAV, which, for the skill he possesses and the contributions he can readily provide, make him an exceptional asset that could draw some legitimate interest from teams across the league.

The opportunity that the Avs have here, to possibly bolster their prospect pool or to add to their draft capital, although any development pieces the Avs obtain will likely be shipped out to find a roster-ready Girard replacement. The good news, though, is that middle-pairing defenseman draw a bounty from desperate teams at the Deadline. Just look at some recent examples:

1. July 23, 2021 — Rasmus Ristolainen

Philadelphia receives: Rasmus Ristolainen

Buffalo receives: Robert Hagg, round 1 pick in the 2021 draft (Isak Rosen) and round 2 pick in the 2023 draft (Anton Wahlberg)

2. March 16, 2022 — Ben Chiarot

Florida receives: Ben Chiarot

Montreal receives: Ty Smilanic, round 4 pick in the 2022 draft (Cedrick Guindon) and conditional round 1 pick in the 2023 draft (Mikhail Gulyayev)

3. February 1, 2025 — Marcus Pettersson

Vancouver receives: Marcus Pettersson, Drew O'Connor

Pittsburgh receives: Melvin Fernstrom, Vincent Desharnais, Danton Heinen and conditional round 1 pick in the 2025 draft (Jack Nesbitt)

4. March 7, 2025 — Brandon Carlo

Toronto receives: Brandon Carlo

Boston receives: Fraser Minten, round 4 pick in the 2025 draft (Vashek Blanar) and conditional round 1 pick in the 2026 draft

5. March 7, 2025 — Jake Walman

Edmonton receives: Jake Walman

San Jose receives: Carl Berglund and conditional round 1 pick in the 2026 draft

Trade Replacements

Will the Avs capitalize on other teams' desperation at the deadline this year? It seems like, if ever there was a time to trade Girard, this is the time. Here are some potential fits that could be brought in in his stead. Note: Because Girard is a left-shot defensemen, this list will focus exclusively on other lefties who could slot into Girard's lineup spot.

Note:

A breakdown of Wins Above Replacement (WAR) can be found here.
A breakdown of expected goals (xG) can be found here.

Emil Andrae

Andrae is likely the least-recognizable name on this list, but that likely won't be the case for much longer. He has played well in his limited usage as a Philadelphia Flyer, but he has spent much of this season watching from the press box; Philly is open to entertaining trade offers for the Västervik, Sweden native, but they're surely more in the market for assets than they are for a player like Samuel Girard (given that one of the main reasons Andrae hasn't played much is they already have some reliable defensive options, including the aforementioned Rasmus Ristolainen).

Oliver Ekman-Larsson

The stalwart defenseman — a veteran of 16 NHL seasons, a Swedish Olympian, and an NHL All-Star — is currently signed with the floundering Toronto Maple Leafs who, for the first real time in the Auston Matthews Era, will assuredly be sellers at the year's NHL Trade Deadline. The ask for "OEL" might be steep, and the Avs don't want to end up being a team that overpays at the deadline (especially considering that they have the leverage regarding Girard), but Toronto GM Brad Treliving will be eager to show the rabid Leafs fanbase that the team isn't content to stand pat, so look for them to make moves — like the expected, impending trade of OEL — at/before the Trade Deadline.

Mario Ferraro

As the longest-tenured member of the San Jose Sharks, Ferraro has had to play on some pretty abysmal Sharks teams. As the Avs front office well knows, however (after prying Mackenzie Blackwood away from Sharks GM Mike Grier), they can revitalize anyone's career by putting them into a better, winning-oriented environment. His offensive metrics (illustrated by the On-Ice xG Diff stat) are never going to set any houses on fire, but he is a strong defender and penalty-killer; he makes a living as an analytic darling who finds success in the less-flashy areas of the game. Also, as a not-insignificant factor: Ferraro was Makar's defensive partner for much of their time together at UMass Amherst.

Brett Kulak

Brett Kulak is a reliable bottom-pairing defenseman who may find himself on a third NHL club this season come March. The Oilers really didn't want to have to get rid of him in the first place, but they needed to change things up in net, and Pittsburgh wasn't willing to retain salary on Tristan Jarry. Accordingly, when the Oilers shipped Stuart Skinner to the Steel City, they had to make room to accommodate Jarry's more-expensive contract, and Kulak found himself packaged in as part of the trade.

Mason Lohrei

The Bruins are in no rush to move Lohrei, but, ever since it got out that they were willing to move him to get Rasmus Andersson (before Vegas swooped in and acquired him in January), teams have shown interest and have asked whom else the Bruins might want to acquire. Will Girard be on his way to rejoin Nikita Zadorov as a Boston Bruin? The Avs would likely have to retain some of Girard's cap space — or trade a pick or a prospect, alongside him — to make it happen.

Pavel Mintyukov

The Anaheim Ducks have a number of young defensemen, including Jackson Lacombe, who was just signed to an Eight-Year $92mil extension, Olen Zellweger, rookie stud Ian Moore, and Drew Helleson (who came over in the deal that brought Josh Manson to Denver). Accordingly, Pavel Mintyukov has had reduced opportunities to actually dress for the Ducks; he has been a healthy scratch a handful of times this year, and, when he does play, he averages less than 18 minutes a night. Thusly, in late-2025, reports began to circulate that Mintyukov had asked for a trade. At just 22-years-old, the former 10th-overall pick wouldn't be a one-for-one if the Avs wanted to obtain him in exchange for sending Girard to Orange County. There might need to be a third team involved to help facilitate this deal.

Detroit Red Wings Defensive Depth

One team to keep a close eye on is the Detroit Red Wings. If the Avs do trade Girard and are in the market for a rent-a-defenseman, the Wings have a pair of NHL-caliber rearguards who have been buried in AHL Grand Rapids for much of the season, and it is highly likely one or both of them will be playing elsewhere after March 6.

Erik Gustafsson

Gustafsson, who played 60 games for Detroit last season, signed on with them and the "Yzerplan" after having played for seven different teams across just fives seasons from 2019-20 through 2023-24. He was likely envisioning an opportunity in which he could finally catch his breath, settle down, and possibly even play out the remainder of his NHL career. After finding himself in the minors for the first time since the 2017-18 season, however, it would appear that both the Wings and Gustafsson are ready to move on from their time together, and this could work in the Avs' favor. Gustafsson's salary is much lower than Girard's, and he will almost certainly have a chip on his shoulder and will be eager to prove he's capable of playing in the NHL again full-time.

Justin Holl

Much like fellow-Wing Erik Gustafsson, Justin Holl hadn't seen the minor leagues since the 2017-18 season, and it's evident, based on his price tag (and the Wings' willingness to sign someone over 30 to a three-year deal) that the plan was for him to hold a regular roster spot in Hockeytown. That, however, has not panned out. Additionally, while Gustafsson has at least seen a pair of NHL games this season, Holl hasn't touched an NHL sheet of ice in almost a full calendar year. He will be looking for an opportunity elsewhere, and plenty of NHL clubs would be happy to give him a one-year "prove it" deal for the 2026-27 season.

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