Avalanche sign Sam Girard to a 7-year contract extension

The Colorado Avalanche are securing young talent at a high rate this offseason. The club announced a 7-year, $35-million dollar contract extension for 21-year-old defenceman Sam Girard on Wednesday.

The deal will pay out $5-million yearly through to the 2026-27 season.

Girard skated in all 82 games for the Avs last season, finishing second among Colorado defensemen with his new NHL high of 27 points. He has the longest active ironman streak on the team with 150 consecutive regular-season games in a row, while finishing sixth on the club in average ice time.

"Samuel has been one of our best all-around defensemen since joining the Avalanche," said Joe Sakic, Executive Vice President and General Manager. "He plays important minutes and is someone our coaches count on to play against other teams' top lines. He has an exceptional ability to skate and move the puck. As a member of our core, we felt it was important to sign him to a long-term deal and we are excited to announce this extension."

The contract kicks in at the end of next season, when his three-year entry level contract signed with the Nashville Predators expires. Girard was selected by Nashville in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft, and was later acquired by Colorado in three-team trade involving Matt Duchene and Kyle Turris in November 2017.

Seven more years of Girard’s nifty moves is something worth celebrating. With dynamic young talent like Cale Makar, Bowen Byram and Sam Girard headlining their defence corps, Colorado will be a fun team to watch for years to come.

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