Brett Kulak Traded to Avalanche as Penguins Land Samuel Girard and 2028 Second‑Round Pick
The Pittsburgh Penguins traded Brett Kulak to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday afternoon in exchange for defenseman Samuel Girard and a 2028 second‑round draft pick. The deal swaps a pending unrestricted free agent for a contracted left‑shot defenseman and more draft capital, extending a sequence of roster moves that has reshaped Pittsburgh’s asset base.
Brett Kulak traded to Colorado Avalanche
Brett Kulak, a defenseman, was sent to the Colorado Avalanche as part of the transaction that brought Samuel Girard and a 2028 second‑round pick to Pittsburgh. Kulak had been with the Penguins for a brief period; that tenure is described in the available context as brief and that Kulak was a solid addition during his time in Pittsburgh. Kulak is a pending unrestricted free agent after this season, a contractual status that factored into the trade dynamics.
Samuel Girard: contract, physical profile and recent season
Samuel Girard, 27, joins Pittsburgh on a contract that runs through the 2026‑27 season with an average annual value of $5 million. The 5‑foot‑10, 170‑pound defenseman is a 2022 Stanley Cup Champion and is currently in his ninth NHL season, having split his career between Colorado and the Nashville Predators. This season Girard has recorded three goals, nine assists, 12 points and a plus‑12 in 40 games.
Samuel Girard: career numbers and junior pedigree
Across his NHL career Girard has totaled 37 goals, 198 assists and 235 points in 588 games. In playoff competition he has added three goals, 25 assists and 28 points in 67 career playoff games. His best NHL season came in 2022‑23 when he set career highs with six goals, 31 assists and 37 points in 76 games with Colorado.
Before turning professional Girard spent three seasons (2014–17) in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Shawinigan Cataractes, compiling 24 goals, 168 assists and 192 points in 190 games. He earned QMJHL honors in each of those three seasons, including Defensive Rookie of the Year, Defenseman of the Year, Most Sportsmanlike Player and First All‑Star Team recognition in 2016 and 2017. A Roberval, Quebec native, Girard was drafted in the second round, 47th overall, of the 2016 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators.
Draft capital: Penguins expand their stockpile
With the addition of the 2028 second‑round pick in this trade, the Penguins now hold 34 draft picks over the next four NHL drafts, including 20 selections in the first three rounds. No team has more selections in the first three rounds across the next four drafts than Pittsburgh. The move also gives the organization multiple second‑round picks in each of the next four drafts and multiple third‑round picks in each of the next three drafts, which is described as a net gain of eight draft picks in the available context.
Salary cap strategy, roster fit and organizational impact
The trade is characterized in the available material as a move that functions in part as a salary‑cap maneuver. The Avalanche gave up the draft pick to have the Penguins take on the remainder of Girard’s contract; the context describes this as a salary dump for Colorado and notes that Pittsburgh has the cap space to absorb Girard’s contract. The Penguins’ general manager Kyle Dubas is described as making moves again, using Pittsburgh’s cap space to accumulate draft assets.
On the roster side, Girard is presented as a puck‑moving left‑shot defenseman with strong underlying numbers who fits Pittsburgh’s current timeline. At 27 years old and under contract beyond this season, Girard is framed as a potential upgrade for the Penguins both this season and next.
How this completes the Tristan Jarry sequence
The transaction also extends a chain of moves that began with an earlier roster decision: the Penguins initially acquired Brett Kulak, along with goalie Stuart Skinner and a 2029 second‑round pick, from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Tristan Jarry earlier this season. With the current trade, the sequence means the Penguins have converted Tristan Jarry and his contract into Stuart Skinner, Samuel Girard and two second‑round picks, as described in the available context.
The context notes that Girard is signed for fewer years than Jarry was, and that detail about when Girard’s contract comes off the books is unclear in the provided context.
Outlook and caveats
The trade both reshapes Pittsburgh’s defense and further bulks up its draft inventory. The context frames the move as a no‑brainer for the Penguins given their cap space and organizational goals, while calling Colorado’s decision a move to shed salary and recover picking power. Recent coverage describes these angles as significant; details may evolve as teams finalize roster plans and deploy the added draft capital.
