Penguins trade Brett Kulak to Avalanche for Samuel Girard and 2028 second-round pick
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman disclosed the deal on Tuesday that sends Samuel Girard and a 2028 second-round pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for brett kulak, a move that reshuffles each club’s blue line ahead of the deadline.
Samuel Girard added to Pittsburgh’s defense corps
Girard, 27, joins the Penguins under a contract that runs through the end of the 2026-27 season and carries an average annual value of $5 million. This season he has appeared in 40 games, scoring three goals with nine assists for 12 points and a plus-12 rating.
Brett Kulak’s season and contract status
Brett Kulak, 32, will move to the Avalanche after playing 25 games for Pittsburgh this season; he has skated in 56 games overall this campaign with one goal and eight assists. Kulak will be out of his contract at the end of this season, leaving his longer-term status unclear in the provided context.
Girard’s career résumé and junior honors
The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Girard is a 2022 Stanley Cup champion now in his ninth NHL season, having split his career between the Colorado Avalanche and the Nashville Predators. His NHL totals include 37 goals, 198 assists and 235 points in 588 career regular-season games, plus three goals, 25 assists and 28 points in 67 playoff games.
What Girard has accomplished and where he came from
Girard’s best NHL season came in 2022-23 when he produced six goals, 31 assists and 37 points over 76 games with Colorado. Before turning professional he played three seasons (2014-17) with the Shawinigan Cataractes in the QMJHL, registering 24 goals, 168 assists and 192 points in 190 junior games and earning Defensive Rookie of the Year, Defenseman of the Year, Most Sportsmanlike Player and First All-Star Team honors in 2016 and 2017. He was drafted in the second round, 47th overall, of the 2016 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators.
How the swap unfolded and recent history for Kulak
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman first disclosed the swap on Tuesday. Kulak had already been moved once earlier this season — from the Edmonton Oilers to the Penguins as part of the Stuart Skinner–Tristan Jarry trade — before appearing in 25 games for Pittsburgh prior to this deal.
Immediate fallout: picks, roster balance and how teams stack up
On paper, the Penguins appear to be the winners here, gaining a second-line defenseman in Girard plus a 2028 second-round pick while retaining a known contract through 2026-27. The club also increases its draft capital: Pittsburgh now holds 34 draft picks over the next four NHL drafts, including 20 selections in the first three rounds, the most of any team over those rounds in the next four drafts.
Kulak will need to make a strong defensive impact for the Avalanche the rest of the way to justify the cost, and Girard’s presence gives Pittsburgh a signed top-four option through 2026-27. The trade was disclosed on Tuesday and the confirmed contractual milestones to watch next are Girard’s term through 2026-27 and Kulak becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
