Selected by Nashville in the second round (47th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Girard was acquired by Colorado from Nashville as part of a three-team deal with Ottawa on Nov. 5, 2017.
"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."
Girard committed only three minor penalties during the 2018-19 campaign, as he and Chicago's Dominik Kahun were the only NHL players to play all 82 games with six or fewer penalty minutes. Girard's 19:53 of ice time was the second-highest average of any player who had six or fewer PIM, as Pittsburgh's Justin Schultz committed only two minors while averaging 20:30.
Girard has tallied 50 points (8g/42a) in 155 career NHL games for the Avalanche and Predators. He skated in all 68 games after being acquired by Colorado during the 2017-18 campaign, tallying 20 points (3g/17a) while averaging 17:42 of ice time. He became just the fourth Avalanche rookie defenseman to reach 20 points since the franchise moved to Denver, joining John-Michael Liles (34 in 2003-04), Kevin Shattenkirk (26 in 2010-11) and Ryan Wilson (21 in 2009-10). He appeared in 73 games combined between the Avalanche and Predators in 2017-18, tallying 23 points (4g/19a). Girard has also dressed in 12 career playoff contests (0g/2a).
