Samuel Girard: Une Énigme Fascinante
One of the most important factors that Chris MacFarland, Joe Sakic, and co. have to find an answer for is this: Will they re-sign Samuel Girard? If the answer to that is 'yes,' then Girard is here to stay. If, however, the answer is 'no,' then a slew of further questions arise: What will Girard's value be next year if they don't trade him this year? Are they a better team with him in the lineup, or could his AAV be better utilized elsewhere? Who would replace him in the lineup? Is there someone, in-house, who is ready to step up? Can they trade him for another defenseman, and, if so, whom? Would they have to trade him for assets, which could then be traded to a third team for a roster-ready rearguard? Are they willing to spend on a pure rental?
These types of questions have been mulled over for the last handful of years as talks of potentially trading Girard have arisen almost like clockwork. The major inciting issue for this particular season's Girard rumor mill is the impending end of Cale Makar's own contract, which is also set to end after next season — there is simply no reality in which the Avs even consider re-signing Girard before they re-sign Makar, and the extensions signed by both Josh Manson and Sam Malinski illustrate that the Avs don't intend to keep Sammy G around. That is, of course, unless (against all odds) he opts to take a massive pay decrease to stay in Denver; there's certainly a team out there willing to overpay for Girard if he becomes a free agent, and both Girard and his agent know this. The three additional articles in this series will explore the three avenues. If he gets traded:
1. The Avs could call up someone from the Eagles as a long-term solution
2. The Avs could trade for his replacement
3. The Avs could sign someone in the offseason to be his replacement for next season
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