NHL News: The Colorado Avalanche Lock Up Samuel Girard For Seven Years
Will there be an odd man out on the Colorado Avalanche's blue line? When will Travis Green get an extension from the Vancouver Canucks?
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The Colorado Avalanche signed defenseman Samuel Girard to a seven-year, $35 million contract extension – a $5 million salary cap hit. He has one year left on his entry-level contract.

The 21-year old Girard was draft 47th overall in the 2nd round of the 2016 draft by the Nashville Predators. He was acquired in the three-team trade with the Predators and Ottawa Senators that involved Matt Duchene and Kyle Turris.

Colorado Avalanche: Avs GM Joe Sakic on Girard.

“Samuel has been one of our best all-around defensemen since joining the Avalanche,” said Avalanche Executive Vice President / General Manager Joe Sakic. “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.”

Jesse Montano: “Boy oh boy could that deal look reeeeeeal sweet in two years.”

MoneyPuckSystems: “Honestly I like when teams do this. Make a bet on the player getting better and hopefully end up with a great value contract for a long time (like the Josi deal). Also, I much prefer them betting on a young player getting better than a 30 year old defying age…”