The first notable move of the trade deadline season has been made.
On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired defenseman Samuel Girard and a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft from the Colorado Avalanche. In return, the Avalanche are receiving defenseman Brett Kulak.
Samuel Girard is going to the Penguins
Hearing Brett Kulak is being traded to Colorado
The move gives the Penguins a little more youth on the back end, as the 27-year-old Girard can step into the 32-year-old Kulak’s spot on the second pair in Pittsburgh.
While Colorado no longer has a pick in the second round of the 2028 draft, the Pens now have three. They have the Dallas Stars’ pick as part of the deal that sent Vladislav Kolyachonok to Dallas in exchange for the pick and Matthew Dumba.
Girard has been a member of the Avalanche since being traded by the Nashville Predators as part of the Kyle Turris trade in November 2017. He has been a consistent part of the team’s D-corps ever since. While he hasn’t been an offensive star, the Roberval, Que. native has hit the 30-point mark three times in his career. So far in 2025-26, he has posted three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 40 games.
Girard missed over a month of action after suffering an upper-body injury that he suffered in the second game of the season. He’s in the sixth season of his seven-year contract, which he signed in July 2019. The deal has an AAV of $5 million through next year, with a modified no-trade clause where the player submits a nine-team no-trade list.
This is the second time Kulak has been dealt this season. In December, he was part of the trade that saw the Edmonton Oilers send Stuart Skinner to the Penguins in exchange for Tristan Jarry, among other assets.
The Edmonton native has since played 25 games with Pittsburgh, scoring a goal and six assists for seven points. In 56 games total this year, he has notched a goal and eight assists for nine points.
Kulak is in the final season of his four-year contract that he signed with the Oilers in July 2022. The deal has a cap hit of $2.75 million.
The Penguins (29-15-12) sit second in the Metropolitan Division coming out of the Olympic break. The Oilers (28-22-8) are second in the Pacific as well.
