Girard among the few teens rarely seen playing D
Avs rookie is proving that, as a blueliner, he is far from green.
A young, inexperienced NHL defenseman often treats the puck like a hot potato. Move it, before you lose it and it burns you.
Avalanche rookie Samuel Girard, however, treats the puck like a prized possession, and the 19year-old defenseman has the skill to make the right decision with it most of the time. It’s why he has the rare gift of playing on an NHL blue line as a teenager, and why the Avs probably will keep Girard beyond his nine-game NHL audition that ends Saturday at Nashville, his former team.
“His poise with the puck is so good,” said veteran defenseman Erik Johnson, who is playing with Girard on the top pairing. “A lot of young players don’t want to make a mistake, so they get rid of it really quick. His panic level is so low. He wants the puck.”
Colorado coach Jared Bednar said Girard, a key figure in the Nov. 4 three-team megatrade that sent Matt Duchene to Ottawa, will probably play Sunday at Detroit in his 10th career NHL game to ensure he will remain in the NHL the rest of the season. Colorado’s only other option is to return Girard to his junior team, the Shawinigan Cataractes in Quebec, before then.
“I can’t imagine he’s going anywhere, to be honest with you,” Bednar said of the undersized Girard, who at 5-foot-10 and 162 pounds is now the Avs’ smallest player, just ahead of rookie forward Alex Kerfoot (5-10, 175). “To me, he doesn’t look overwhelmed out there at all. He looks like he’s a real confident guy. He’s not scared to handle the puck, to make plays in pressure or when he’s got open ice. You watch him play and you say, ‘Yeah, he belongs.’ He’s a contributor. He can help you win.”
Girard will play his eighth game Thursday against the visiting Washington Capitals and presumably his ninth game Saturday against the Predators. Girard was selected in the second round (47th overall) by the Preds in 2016 and played in five games with Nashville this season before the trade.
“He’s impressive in a lot of ways, and he brings us something that we need — another guy to
help drive us offensively and move the puck in and out of our zone,” Bednar said of Girard after practice Wednesday.
Johnson also was a teenage NHL defenseman. He was selected No. 1 in the 2006 draft by St. Louis and played one season for the University of Minnesota before joining the Blues for 2007-08. Johnson loosely compares Girard to Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, 27, who went directly from major-junior to the NHL as an 18-year-old in 2008-09.
“He’s light-years ahead of any 18-, 19-year-old defenseman I’ve seen in their first 10 games since, maybe, Doughty,” Johnson said of Girard. “He looks outstanding. It’s really tough for a young D to come in and play the way he has. He looks great. The hardest thing at this level is to be consistent. It’s been a small sample size, but he looks terrific.”
Girard has no interest in returning to Shawinigan for the rest of the season — even though that would make him eligible to play for Canada’s World Junior Championship team.
“It’s my second year. I didn’t make it my first year. My goal last summer was to make the NHL,” Girard said. “I think it’s my place. I did pretty well my first seven games, first five with Nashville, and the last two were pretty good. I’m ready, but I know they’ll make a decision in a couple days.”
As for his poise with puck, Girard said it’s a mixture of having patience and knowing what the team needs.
“When I got the puck, I want to keep the puck. I want to make good plays. I don’t want to just put the puck where nobody is. I want to make the best play that I can. That’s my game,” Girard said. “Defensively, I just want to have a great stick, contain guys in the corner, get the puck and make a good pass (out of the zone).”