With the Olympic Trade Freeze being lifted at 11:59 pm on February 22nd, two days later, the first big trade has occurred as the NHL resumes their season on Wednesday. The Colorado Avalanche are sending defenseman Samuel Girard and a 2028 second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Brett Kulak.
We have acquired Brett Kulak from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Samuel Girard and a 2nd round pick in 2028 NHL Draft. pic.twitter.com/tZrCRBm3LB
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) February 24, 2026
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Kulak is a solid defenseman, having helped the Edmonton Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025. He plays around 20 minutes a night and is a smooth-skating top-four defenseman who is a strong penalty killer.
Brett Kulak, acquired by COL, is a smooth-skating top four defensive defenceman who kills penalties. Was playing with Kris Letang and doing pretty well after a difficult start with the Oilers this season. When he’s at his best he calms things down and makes safe plays. pic.twitter.com/FdYI3Nqnnr
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 24, 2026
This is the second time Kulak has been traded this season. Remember, Kulak, along with Stuart Skinner, was sent to the Penguins from Edmonton as the Oilers acquired goaltender Tristan Jarry.
Meanwhile, Girard is a solid pickup who can be the future of the Penguins’ blueline with the aging veterans on the backend. He is a good top-four defenseman with his ceiling being on the second pair.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired Sam Girard and 2nd round pick ‘28 from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Brett Kulak. I like this deal for Pittsburgh. Girard, at his best, is a good 2nd pairing defenseman. pic.twitter.com/nFOCEO7JgI
— Rono (@RonoAnalyst) February 24, 2026
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The Avalanche have been looking to trade Girard for the better part of four years now. Even though he helped Colorado win the Stanley Cup in 2022, there was a sense that if the right move came along, they would pull the trigger.
From somewhere over the North Atlantic, trade details and thoughts:
To #GoAvsGo:
D Brett Kulak (pending UFA)To #LetsGoPens:
D Samuel Girard
2028 2nd Round PickKulak is a proven playoff playoff performer. Colorado had flirted with idea of moving Girard on/off for parts of 4…
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 24, 2026
Penguins Kyle Dubas has taken a lot of heat for some of the moves he made throughout his tenure there, but he turned Tristan Jarry and Sam Poulin into Stuart Skinner and Samuel Girard, plus two second-round picks.
There is no salary retention in this deal. Kulak is in the final year of his deal with a cap hit of $2.75 million. Girard has one year left on his deal with a cap hit of $5 million. The Colorado Avalanche have been looking to free up cap space as they seek to acquire a depth centerman and possibly another defenseman.
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Currently, the Avalanche have around $8.742 million in cap space. At the NHL Trade Deadline, the Avalanche will have around $10.8 million in cap space. These numbers will be adjusted once Logan O’Connor returns to the lineup and is activated from LTIR, adding $2.5 million to the salary cap.
It begs the question: Will the Colorado Avalanche call up the Calgary Flames, if they haven’t already, and discuss a possible trade involving Nazem Kadri? Everyone knows the impact he had on the Avalanche in 2022, helping them win a Stanley Cup.
It is worth watching, given their cap situation.
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