The NHL returns to play on Wednesday night. As the Olympic trade freeze has ended, teams have until March 6 at 3 p.m. ET to make moves in preparation for the future. The first post-freeze NHL trade has been made between the New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues.
Now, a more significant trade has been made between the Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins, according to an announcement from the Avalanche on X, formerly Twitter.
The Avalanche are sending Samuel Girard and a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft to the Penguins in exchange for Brett Kulak.
Girard was the 47th overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators. He played with the Preds for five games in 2017-18 before being traded to the Avalanche. The former Avalanche defenseman has played in 588 games at the NHL level, finding the back of the net 37 times while adding 198 assists. He also won the 2022 Stanley Cup while with Colorado.
Meanwhile, Kulak was the 105th pick in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames. He broke into the NHL with the Flames for one game in 2014-15, and became an NHL regular by 2017-18. The blueliner then spent time with the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers, playing in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals with the Oilers. He was moved to the Penguins as part of the trade that sent Stuart Skinner to Pittsburgh and Tristan Jarry to Edmonton.
Kulak has played in 25 games with the Pens, scoring once while adding six assists. He will now be playing for his third team this year. Overall, he has played in 636 games at the NHL level, lighting the lamp 29 times while adding 105 helpers.
Both teams are hoping this defenseman swap will help their playoff push. The Avalanche are 37-9-9 on the season, sitting in first in the NHL standings. They will return to the ice on Wednesday against the Utah Mammoth.
Meanwhile, the Penguins are 29-15-12 on the year, good for second place in the Metropolitan Division. They will return to play on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils.
