Trade Rumor: Colorado Avalanche Shopping Young Dynamic Defenseman

According to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, the Colorado Avalanche are open to trading defenseman Samuel Girard. The Colorado Avalanche are trying to upgrade their forward group and have been in contact with several teams about the young defenseman.

It all started with the Jack Eichel rumors where Girard was the piece the Avalanche were offering. Now it appears the trade buzz continues as the Avalanche have chatted with a number of teams regarding Girard. He's a 23-year-old defenseman who is signed long term. The former second-round pick makes $5 million through the 2026-27 season and doesn't have no-trade protection for another few years.

FINAL: The Avalanche win 6-2 against the Sharks and have scored 13 goals the past two games without Nathan MacKinnon. They're 4-1-1 in their last six and are perhaps starting to find a groove. Player of the game: Samuel Girard.
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) November 14, 2021

The Avalanche are looking for winger to play on their second line and likely prefer someone who is signed with some term still left on their contract. It's one thing to give up on a young defenseman but it's another to ship him out of town for a rental. That's just not something we will see from Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic. All of his moves have been rather calculated and it always seems like the executives across the league are scratching their heads, wondering how Sakic pulled it off.

So far this season Girard has recorded nine points in 10 games. Keep an eye on the Avs, they may just part with one of the best young d-men in the league, but the return will be massive. Worth the gamble? We'll have to wait and see if Sakic is willing to roll the dice.

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