Pittsburgh Penguins normal supervisor Kyle Dubas continued to re-tool his roster on Tuesday by trading defenseman Brett Kulak to the Colorado Avalanche in trade for defenseman Sam Girard and a 2028 second-round draft decide.
From a hockey and asset perspective, it’s a large win for the Penguins. Girard is a much-needed left-handed defenseman who’s signed by way of subsequent season, whereas additionally bringing some robust mobility and puck-movement to the Penguins protection. At 27, he’s additionally at an age that matches in with the present roster. Getting one other second-round draft decide is critical as a result of though the Penguins are within the playoff race this season, they’re nonetheless keeping track of the long run. They now have 20 picks within the first three rounds of the subsequent 4 draft courses. That may be a net-gain of eight picks from the place they began.
The motivation for Colorado in all of this was to shed Girard’s remaining wage to create extra salary-cap area for a possible large transfer this season earlier than the March 6 NHL commerce deadline.
Whereas it’s a robust short- and long-term transfer for the Penguins, it’s also a robust transfer for Dubas as he continues to right one of many greatest errors from his first 12 months on the job in Pittsburgh.
Kyle Dubas continues to repair his Tristan Jarry mistake
Dubas has been on fairly run for the Penguins by way of roster strikes over the previous season-and-a-half, and it’s a large motive they’re wanting like a playoff crew this season and are well-positioned for long-term success past this season. However his first 12 months on the job in Pittsburgh was not fairly as profitable as he had a few main strikes that merely didn’t work out.
Signing veteran defenseman Ryan Graves to a long-term contract was a swing-and-a-miss.
The commerce for Reilly Smith didn’t pan out as anticipated.
His dedication to goalie Tristan Jarry additionally didn’t pan out. Jarry’s five-year contract changed into such a direct whiff that the goalie even discovered himself on the waiver wire — the place he went unclaimed — and within the American Hockey League throughout the 2024-25 season.
It appeared as if the Penguins have been going to be caught with that contract by way of the top of the 2027-28 season with little hope of getting a greater return on it.
Then the primary a part of the 2025-26 season occurred.
When Jarry began to indicate indicators of bouncing again with a robust begin this season, Dubas wasted little time in dealing Jarry to the Edmonton Oilers in December for goalie Stuart Skinner, Kulak and a 2029 second-round draft decide.
Skinner has outperformed Jarry because the commerce, whereas the 2029 decide is one other future asset that Dubas can both use as a commerce chip or as draft capital so as to add one other prospect into the system.
By buying and selling Kulak to Colorado on Tuesday, he has now prolonged the return on the Jarry commerce to incorporate Skinner, Girard and two future second-round picks. There may be additionally an opportunity they might probably flip Skinner over the subsequent two weeks for much more.
When you think about how unhealthy Jarry’s contract regarded, the very fact Girard’s contract truly expires earlier than his and the that they have been in a position to enhance the crew within the short-term, it’s a particularly shrewd sequence of strikes by Dubas. He made a mistake with Jarry’s contract. He has greater than fastened it over the previous couple of years.
