When there’s smoke around the Colorado Avalanche, you have to pay attention, and right now, a plume is rising around defenseman Sam Girard. While his name has popped up in trade rumors before, this time feels different. According to Avalanche insider Aarif Deen, the team could be looking to move the skilled blueliner, and frankly, I’m not surprised. The writing has been on the wall, but you had to be watching closely to see it.
The key takeaway isn’t just that Girard might be traded; it’s why. This isn’t a salary cap dump. The Avs have over $3.3 million in cap space with everyone signed. This is a strategic pivot. Girard’s ice time cratered in the playoffs, dropping from a top-three regular season staple (over 20 minutes) to a fifth defenseman role at 17:38 per game. You simply cannot pay a player $5 million AAV to be a third-pairing defenseman, no matter how skilled he is. The Avs’ aggressive but failed pursuit of Ryan Lindgren and their subsequent signing of veteran Brent Burns signal that management is actively reshaping their defensive corps. They’re looking for a different mix, and Girard, with his specific skillset and contract, may be the odd man out.
Why Would the Avalanche Trade Sam Girard Now?
While the Avalanche aren’t in a cap crunch that forces a trade today, General Manager Chris MacFarland is playing chess, not checkers. Keeping Girard in a reduced role is a luxury a contender can’t afford. That $5 million could be re-allocated to bolster forward depth or acquire a different style of defenseman better suited for a bottom-four, penalty-killing role. The risk for the Avs is waiting too long.
If Girard starts the season playing 17 minutes a night, his trade value could diminish as other GMs see him as a player his own team is phasing out. Acting sooner, rather than later, allows MacFarland to sell Girard from a position of strength, marketing him as a top-four puck-mover who just doesn’t fit their new structure.
Connecting the Dots on the Girard Rumors
Let’s be clear: this has been building. For the last two seasons, Girard’s name would surface, only for the speculation to be quickly dismissed. Now, the context has changed. The playoff deployment was a massive red flag. He was a non-factor compared to his usual role. Add in his nine-team no-trade list, and you have a situation where the Avalanche need to be proactive to find a suitable trade partner that works for both the team and the player.
He’s signed through 2026-27, which offers cost certainty for an acquiring team, but also means the Avs can’t just wait for the contract to expire. Keep a close eye on the Sam Girard rumors as training camp approaches; if a team is looking for a power-play quarterback or a smooth-skating transition defenseman, Colorado will be taking the call.
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