The Colorado Avalanche could've rested on their laurels after a great start to the 2025-26 season, but a sputtering end to the pre-Olympic break has them changing some things around as soon as the trade freeze ends. The Avalanche traded nine-year depth defenseman Samuel Girard and a second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Brett Kulak, which signals an organizational change for their blueline philosophy.
One problem with Colorado's defense in the past playoffs has been its propensity to get pushed around. Girard is the type of player who can be valuable as a puck-mover, but his slight stature can't show up against physical teams, according to Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar. Kulak has a history of stepping up in the playoffs, which Colorado is going to need in a tight Central Division race down the stretch and in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
The Avalanche needing to add a second-round pick to acquire Kulak is evidence that Girard's stock has taken a hit in recent years. Girard is still the same player he always has been, but Brent Burns and Sam Malinski have slowly taken ice time from him this season. If the Avalanche believes Kulak is a playoff upgrade, then losing the draft pick will be worth it.
The Penguins also didn't have much use for Kulak, as there's no guarantee he would re-sign with them on an expiring contract. Girard is more of a long-term option if they can sign him to an extension after his deal ends at the end of next season, and is an offensive replacement with Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson in the twilight of their careers.
Trading Samuel Girard for Brett Kulak offers Avalanche salary cap flexibility
With Kulak making $2.25 million less than Girard, the Avalanche now has some room to make another move, with PuckPedia projecting they'll have $2.3 million in cap space. Colorado won't have a ton of space to make a season-altering move, but with Kulak already adding some postseason experience, a depth forward with some retention could be enough to get them over the top.
The Penguins are still not out of the playoff race, and adding additional cap dollars onto their total could be part of the reason why they needed a second-round pick added to the deal to sweeten the pot. Kyle Dubas still has over $10 million to spend on a bigger move, and there are rumors that the Penguins could be looking to add a significant piece.
Dubas should be getting a ton of credit for the work he done with trading Tristan Jarry. He already won the trade with the Edmonton Oilers, acquiring Kulak, a second-round pick, and Stuart Skinner, who is looking like a different goalie since entering Pittsburgh. Now, he flipped an expiring contract in Kulak to acquire a younger offensive defenseman in Girard and another second-round pick. The final tally on the Jarry return is Skinner, Girard, and two second-round picks. That would've seemed unheard of if looking back to last season when Jarry passed through waivers.
Final thoughts and grades on Avalanche-Penguins trade
The Penguins receive the eventual replacement for Karlsson and Letang, along with a second-round pick, for an expiring playoff performer. If Pittsburgh doesn't make the postseason, this trade will look like an even bigger win, but if they make a run and Kulak could've been a good piece, there might be some more regrets. The question is whether the Penguins have some bad news on the Sidney Crosby injury front and whether they know a playoff push might not be in the cards.
The Avalanche gets a player who averaged over 23 minutes per game during the Oilers' Stanley Cup Final run last season. He is a solid option to pair next to Sam Malinski, giving the Avalanche a defense core that will be the envy of most of the league when adding in Cale Makar and Devon Toews as the top pair.
It always seems lazy when you label a trade as a winner for both sides, but it's hard to make an argument that either team is getting the short end of the stick on this one. If the Avalanche make a run to the Stanley Cup, the front office or the fans won't even think about the second-round pick they gave up.
The Penguins already had a Kulak flip in mind when they made the Jarry deal, and this is more of a return than most would've guessed. The Penguins might get a slight advantage from the added second-round pick, but we could revisit it once we know the playoff results.
Avalanche trade grade: B+
Penguins trade grade: A
