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Kyle Dubas sets up second Penguins trade after flipping Brett Kulak for Samuel Girard
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Samuel Girard is a Pittsburgh Penguin, and Kyle Dubas just turned the blue line into a deadline warning shot.
On Tuesday, Pittsburgh sent Brett Kulak to Colorado for Girard and a 2028 second-round pick.
Kulak is 32, a 2012 fourth-rounder by Calgary, and he was on an expiring $2.75 million cap hit.
Girard is 27, a 2016 second-rounder by Nashville, signed at $5 million AAV through 2026-27.
This is the exact kind of "take on money, grab value" move Dubas has leaned into.
Here's the spark that lit the question.
If you're Colorado, you're clearing space and getting a steady defender for the stretch run.
If you're Pittsburgh, you're buying a real puck-mover with term, plus another pick for the cupboard.
Samuel Girard gives the Pittsburgh Penguins a new look
Penguins fans have been begging for a cleaner first pass, and also bracing for the next shoe to drop.
Girard's 2025-26 line in Colorado was 3-9-12, and the tools still pop when he's skating downhill.
He can help the transition game immediately, especially if Dubas pairs him with a steadier right shot.
The bigger point is timing, the trade deadline is March 6, and this feels like step one.
Pittsburgh sits 29-15-12, and that record screams "add, don't fold."
With cap space and extra picks, Dubas can still swing again, either for a top-six finisher or another defender who actually moves the puck.
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Previously on HockeyUnplugged