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Kyle Dubas explains why he decided to trade for Samuel Girard in defenseman swap with the Avalanche
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Tonight, Kyle Dubas put out a new statement this evening and discussed why he decided to add Samuel Girard in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche.
Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins made one of the first trades after the roster freeze was lifted acquiring Samuel Girard from the Colorado Avalanche.
Dubas landed Girard and a 2nd round-pick in exchange for veteran defenseman Brett Kulak who he traded for earlier this season.
Kulak had been a welcomed addition to the Penguins lineup coming over in the Stuart Skinner and Tristan Jarry swap making this trade surprising to many Pittsburgh fans.
Tonight, Dubas explained his thought process and what new arrival Samuel Girard will bring that could be an upgrade over Kulak.
Kyle Dubas explains why he decided to trade for Samuel Girard
In a new statement provided to the media via email, Dubas confirmed that Girard was a player on the Penguins' radar for a while now.
Particularly, Wes Clark and Andy Saucier from the player personnel department did deep scouting dives on him.
Our personnel department, led by (vice president of player personnel) Wes Clark and (director of player personnel) Andy Saucier on the pro side, have put a lot of time into Sam Girard for the past year. And he has been a player that we have targeted as someone who could make great use of increased opportunity here in Pittsburgh. - Kyle Dubas
In addition, Dubas believes Girard will be able to thrive in a bigger role with the Penguins where he will get opportunities to be a more offensive leaning player and play on special teams.
In Colorado, he was behind a great group on the back end of a team that sits atop the league table and has the entire year. We feel Sam can play higher in our lineup because of his ability to play both special teams, ability move the puck effectively up the ice, mobility and ability to defend using his feet and intelligence.
Girard, 27, was a highly touted prospect selected in the 2nd round of the 2016 NHL Draft and seen as a future offensive powerhouse.
Unfortunately, throughout his career Girard has been relegated to a depth puck-moving mobile defenseman which has hampered his offensive production.
With a new opportunity, it will will be fun to see if Girard can live up to the hype from his draft year and elevate the Penguins offense from the back end.
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