Girard settling in with Avalanche

WASHINGTON - Samuel Girard collected the puck deep in the Colorado Avalanche end and swiftly skated up ice, weaving through defenders while carrying through the neutral zone before passing to teammate Nathan MacKinnon.
In that instant, which occurred in the final minutes of a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, Girard provided another glimpse of the dynamic player the Avalanche believe they got when they acquired him as part of a three-team trade with the Ottawa Senators and Nashville Predators on Nov. 5.

Girard, a 19-year-old defenseman, was one of several pieces for the future the Avalanche received in the trade. He's the only piece currently playing for the Avalanche, one they hope will learn on the fly with their young team.
His apprenticeship continues when the Avalanche host the Florida Panthers on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; ALT, FS-F, NHL.TV).
"I feel pretty good here," Girard said. "I want to give my best to win, so that's what I'm trying to do. I try to play well defensively and play well offensively."
The trade was a turn-the-page moment for the Avalanche and Girard. Colorado ended months of speculation surrounding center Matt Duchene by sending him to the Senators. The Senators, in turn, traded center Kyle Turris to the Predators.

From Ottawa, the Avalanche received minor league goaltender Andrew Hammond, forward Shane Bowers, who the Senators selected at No. 28 in the 2017 NHL Draft, the Senators' first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft or 2019 NHL Draft (they get the 2019 first-round pick if the 2018 pick is in the top 10), and their third-round pick in 2019. From the Predators, the Avalanche received Girard, selected by Nashville in the second round (No. 47) of the 2016 NHL Draft, the Predators' second-round pick in 2018 and forward Vladislav Kamenev (a second-round pick, No. 42, in the 2014 NHL Draft).
Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said getting Girard, a left-shot defenseman with offensive skills, was a "huge piece" of the trade.
"We wanted a good, young defenseman that can grow with this group," Sakic said.
Although Girard was initially surprised by the trade, he welcomed the change. After scoring 192 points (24 goals, 168 assists) in 190 games with Shawinigan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League the past three seasons, he made the Predators' opening night roster this season, but played in five of their first 14 games, getting one goal and two assists.
He had been a healthy scratch for three consecutive games and eight of out 10 when he was traded. With the Avalanche scheduled to play against the Senators in the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series in Stockholm on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11, Girard had to immediately fly to Sweden.
During the 14-hour flight, many thoughts raced through his head, but his initial surprise was quickly replaced by excitement.
"I will say 10 minutes after the call I was shocked, but 10 minutes after that I was pretty happy to join this team," Girard said. "It's a young group here. We have a good team as well."
With an average age of 25.5, the Avalanche have the second youngest team in the NHL behind the Columbus Blue Jackets (25.2). Although Girard is going through some understandable growing pains while learning the NHL game, he has fit in well.
After averaging 21:32 in his first nine games, Girard has seen his ice time cut back over the past three weeks. He's averaged 15:10 over the past seven games, including 12:55 over the past four when the Avalanche have dressed seven defensemen.
"He's a young player kind of getting acclimated to the League and he was real good for us," coach Jared Bednar said. "Then, he had a little dip. It looked like he lost some energy and some aggressiveness in his play. So we backed him off a little bit and we're spotting him in some different situations. I feel like he's been pretty good the last couple of games."
Girard (5-foot-10, 162 pounds) is not big, but the Avalanche think he has the skating and puck-moving skills to be a top defenseman. Although Girard's point production hasn't come yet -- he has none in the past 13 games after getting two assists in the first three following the trade -- Sakic believes they will.

"He's only 19 years old," Sakic said. "He played in junior last year and all the sudden you're [in the NHL]. It's a fast league and a tough league and I think he's handled himself really well. I love his puck poise. He's very smart, he's patient with the puck and seems to make the right plays all the time."
After that whirlwind first week following the trade, life has slowed down some for Girard. He's settled into an apartment and is getting used to life in Colorado.
He said veterans such as captain Gabriel Landeskog and defensemen Erik Johnson and Tyson Barrie have helped him with the transition on and off the ice.
"They were in my place maybe five or six years ago, so they know what the first year in the pros is like," Girard said. "They help me a lot for that."
With the draft picks and prospects involved, it might take a few years to get a clear picture of the Avalanche's yield from the trade. For now, though, Girard is the face of it for them.
He acknowledged there is some pressure that comes with that, but said he's not worried about it.
"If they wanted me in the trade, it's because they like me and they like the way that I play," he said. "So I was pretty happy to come here and to help this team."