PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins are acquiring a long-time Colorado Avalanche defenseman.
Penguins GM Kyle Dubas confirmed the team acquired a 2028 second-round pick and Samuel Girard from the Avalanche for defenseman Brett Kulak.
Girard, 27, is signed through the 2026-27 season and carries an average annual value of $5 million.
The Penguins acquired Kulak and goalie Stuart Skinner from the Edmonton Oilers in December for Tristan Jarry and Sam Poulin. In 25 games with the team, he had one goal and six assists.
Girard was drafted in the second round by the Nashville Predators in 2016, but has been with the Avalanche since the 2017 season and is a 2022 Stanley Cup Champion. In 40 games this season, he scored three goals and had nine assists. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound defenseman has recorded 37 goals, 198 assists and 235 points in 588 career NHL games.
According to Dubas, Pittsburgh now has 34 picks over the next four NHL drafts, including 20 selections in the first three rounds. No team has more selections over the first three rounds in the next four drafts than the Penguins.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
