Trading Girard makes no sense for Colorado Avalanche

Beyond that, what could the Avalanche get that would justify moving Girard?

We could nit-pick and point to his declining production as a signal that it’s time to move on. Some may even want to point out injuries as a concern moving forward.

While those arguments may seem valid on the surface, they’re weak at best. Girard is still a solid top-four defenseman. He’s not the most gifted offensive blue liner in the game. But then again, he doesn’t have to be as long as Cale Makar is on the team.

Online chatter, specifically linked to Aarif Deen, has kicked up speculation that the Avalanche are still looking to move on from Samuel Girard.

The chatter, unfortunately, does not provide a solid reason for moving Samuel Girard. Yes, he’s got a reasonable cap hit, which could entice other teams to make a move. But trading Girard will not land a major piece. Such a trade would not yield a top-six forward or a major prospect haul.

The fact is that the Colorado Avalanche would have to give Girard away just to free themselves from his contract.

That would be a bad deal for the Avalanche and a terrible way of treating a good soldier.

Girard still valuable member for Colorado Avalanche

The bottom line is that Samuel Girard is still a valuable member of the Colorado Avalanche. There’s no replacement for Girard, either in-house or outside the organization.

The best example of that is Ryan Lindgren. Lindgren would have been a solid replacement for Girard. However, the Avalanche allowed Lindgren to depart via free agency. If the plan had been to move on from Girard, it would have made sense to trade Girard and use the cap savings to keep Lindgren.

That didn’t happen. So, the club looks committed to both Girard and Josh Manson.

As for in-house replacement, the Avalanche don’t have a prospect in the wings who could potentially step into the bottom four. Perhaps someone may step up at some point down the road.

But as it stands, there isn’t anyone in the pipeline who could become a bona fide top-four defenseman. That’s why the Avalanche would do well to keep Samuel Girard in the fold. There’s no rush to sign him to an extension as he’s still under contract for two more seasons.