Time to talk about one of the more consistent and dependable players on the Avalanche, but for some reason one of the more polarizing players to the fan base. Samuel Girard does everything for the Avs — 2nd pairing anchor, 1st pairing fill-in, power play, penalty kill, heavy 5-on-5 minutes.
He is Head Coach Jared Bednar’s Swiss army knife on the blue line. But some of this fan base has been critical of Sam for years. They’ve blamed the Avs playoff losses on his small size and inability to be a huge physical force. They say the team would be better off with more big, physical defensemen than someone like Girard. But what they might not see is Girard’s superb defensive play and improvements in all areas of the game.
Girard actually also plays a pretty physical game for a player of his size, and he makes up for his size by having quick feet and a great stick defensively. Girard’s gap control and ability to close in on opponents carrying the puck is amazing — he literally is one of the best at this in the entire NHL.
Believe it or not, Girard is entering his EIGHTH season as a member of the Avalanche, but he is still only 26 years old. He has played in 470 games with the Avalanche, scoring 30 goals and 166 assists for 196 points. He is one point shy of hitting the 200 point milestone for his career (had three points with the Predators before being traded to Colorado).
Samuel has a wife, Jacklyn and two dogs, Tornade and Nordi that helped him celebrate the Stanley Cup Championship in 2022.
Last season Girard appeared in 59 regular season games, scoring 3 goals and 15 assists for 18 points. He added 3 assists in 9 playoff games. His games played were limited by a stint in the NHLPA Player’s Assistance Program, which he voluntarily entered to help himself through a personal situation. He came back as an even better player and his teammates and most of the fans welcomed him back with open arms.
Here is a fun highlight reel of Sammy G from a user on YouTube:
Over the last year, it feels a little like the fan base is less split than it has been about Girard. I believe most are finally seeing what he means to this team. But there still is a question about whether Girard should or will be traded at some point.
At the end of the day, Samuel Girard is trusted by Head Coach Jared Bednar, almost more than any player on this roster. He has developed so well under Bednar’s system into one of the very best two-way defensemen in the entire NHL. His cap-hit of $5 million per season may seem enticing for fans to play with in terms of potential trades for forwards or goaltenders. But the fact of the matter is at $5 million per year, this reliability on the blue line is still a STEAL — especially as the salary cap sees slight increases every year and players of this ability are getting $7-8m+ per year on average on the open market these days.
There is still always that potential that Girard IS involved in some sort of trade, but it honestly is something more likely to happen in the offseason. Trading a true core guy like this in the middle of a season might be detrimental to the chemistry of the team, plus why would you trade away your most dependable and versatile defenseman when you are one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup?
