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Samuel Girard

#49 · Defence · Pittsburgh Penguins

Born May 12, 1998 in Roberval, Quebec, CAN (age 28) · 5'10", 184 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 47th overall in 2016 by NSH (round 2)

Trophy case

Stanley Cup NHL Champion 2021-22

Compare with a similar player

The defencemen closest to him in points in 2020-21. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Torey Krug STL · 32 P in 51 GP Alec Martinez VGK · 32 P in 53 GP Neal Pionk WPG · 32 P in 54 GP Roman Josi NSH · 33 P in 48 GP Thomas Chabot OTT · 31 P in 49 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

01020302017-18: 23 points2317-182018-19: 27 points2718-192019-20: 34 points3419-202020-21: 32 points3220-212021-22: 28 points2821-222022-23: 37 points3722-232023-24: 18 points1823-242024-25: 24 points2424-252025-26: 19 points1925-262026-27: 5 points526-27

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2017-18 NSH 5 1 2 3 -3 2 8 3 0.60 $728K
2017-18 COL 68 3 17 20 -8 6 76 43 0.29
2018-19 COL 82 4 23 27 8 6 116 65 0.33 $728K
2019-20 COL 70 4 30 34 1 17 96 46 0.49 $728K
2020-21 COL 48 5 27 32 15 16 79 31 0.67 $5M
2021-22 COL 67 5 23 28 -4 20 79 65 0.42 $5M
2022-23 COL 76 6 31 37 -10 16 119 67 0.49 $5M
2023-24 COL 59 3 15 18 0 10 73 76 0.31 $5M
2024-25 COL 73 3 21 24 7 14 95 62 0.33 $5M
2025-26 COL 40 3 9 12 12 15 31 15 0.30 $5M
2025-26 PIT 20 0 7 7 5 8 10 6 0.35
2026-27 PIT 6 1 4 5 -2 2 9 3 0.83 $5M
10 seasons Career 614 38 209 247 21 132 791 482 0.40

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2017-18 COL 3 0 0 0 -3 0 6 2 0.00
2018-19 COL 9 0 2 2 3 0 6 8 0.22
2019-20 COL 12 1 7 8 4 4 16 12 0.67
2020-21 COL 10 0 5 5 -5 2 13 17 0.50
2021-22 COL 7 1 2 3 -1 0 14 6 0.43
2022-23 COL 7 0 2 2 -4 2 9 16 0.29
2023-24 COL 9 0 3 3 3 0 9 12 0.33
2024-25 COL 7 1 2 3 2 0 7 9 0.43
2025-26 PIT 6 0 0 0 -1 4 5 6 0.00
9 seasons Playoffs 70 3 23 26 -2 12 85 88 0.37

2020-21 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
48 5 27 32 15 16 79 31 0.67 6.3 23:13

Contract

$5MCap hitends in 2027, then UFA
$156KCap dollars per point32 points in 48 games
$678KCap dollars per goal above replacement7.4 goals above replacement
$8.2MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$3.2MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 633 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Colorado Avalanche on Jul 31, 2019, as an extension of the contract he was on: 7 years and $35M, beginning in 2020-21. It runs through 2026-27, with 6 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2020-21 $5M $5M $0 $5M
2021-22 $5M $5M $0 $5M
2022-23 $5M $5M $0 $5M
2023-24 $5M $5M $0 $5M
2024-25 $5M $5M $0 $5M M-NTC
2025-26 $5M $5M $0 $5M M-NTC
2026-27 $5M $5M $0 $5M M-NTC

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Jul 31, 2019 Colorado Avalanche Extension 2020-21 to 2026-27 7 $35M $5M
Sep 29, 2016 Nashville Predators Entry-level 2017-18 to 2019-20 signed for 2016-17, slid 3 $2.775M $728K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2020-21 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2020-21 playoff analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+1.3Goals above replacementsix goals are worth about one win
+0.2Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+0.6Goals above averagethe five parts below added up
Even-strength offence+0.7Even-strength defence-0.6Power play+0.1Penalty kill+0.2Penalties+0.2

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. A playoff run is too short to rank anyone on. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-2024682017-182019-202021-222023-242025-26Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

50.7Corsi for %205 attempts for, 199 against
-0.9CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
52.0Expected goals for %9.3 expected for, 8.6 against
+5.5xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
48.8Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
39.1Goals for %9 for, 14 against
96.4PDO8.4% shooting + 88.0% saves
27Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 147 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Defence pairGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Ryan Graves · Samuel Girard1080:5046.455.23-5
Samuel Girard · Cale Makar1049:4251.940.93-4
Patrik Nemeth · Samuel Girard1025:2744.642.40-3
Samuel Girard · Conor Timmins1021:5460.867.00-2

The pairs he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's pairs that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

0Goalsnot counting empty-netters
0.4Expected goalsfrom 17 unblocked attempts
-0.4Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.12 expected goals per 60 minutes25th
Shot quality 2.6% chance per attempt37th
Finishing -0.4 goals above expected36thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 59 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest in these playoffs.

00.20.40.60.81Expected 0.4Goals 0

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took in these playoffs, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
May 13, 2021 vs LAK W 5-1 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 23:00
May 12, 2021 vs LAK W 6-0 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 19:02
Apr 30, 2021 vs SJS W 3-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 21:11
Apr 28, 2021 @ VGK L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 2 0 2 22:12
Apr 26, 2021 @ STL L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 1 22:15
Apr 24, 2021 @ STL L 3-5 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 22:57
Apr 22, 2021 @ STL W 4-2 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 20:17
Apr 14, 2021 @ STL W 4-3 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 24:06
Apr 12, 2021 vs ARI W 4-2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 24:20
Apr 11, 2021 @ ANA W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 24:01
Apr 9, 2021 @ ANA W 2-0 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 24:15
Apr 7, 2021 @ MIN L 3-8 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 19:48
Apr 5, 2021 @ MIN W 5-4 0 2 2 1 0 3 1 26:46
Apr 3, 2021 vs STL W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 23:03
Apr 2, 2021 vs STL W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 2 4 1 26:01
Mar 31, 2021 vs ARI W 9-3 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 21:21
Mar 29, 2021 vs ANA W 5-2 0 0 0 -2 0 1 1 23:58
Mar 27, 2021 vs VGK L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 25:57
Mar 25, 2021 vs VGK W 5-1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 22:55
Mar 23, 2021 @ ARI L 4-5 (SO) 0 2 2 2 0 2 2 26:13
Mar 22, 2021 @ ARI W 5-1 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 20:07
Mar 20, 2021 vs MIN W 6-0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 21:32
Mar 18, 2021 vs MIN W 5-1 0 1 1 2 0 5 0 20:31
Mar 16, 2021 vs ANA W 8-4 1 1 2 3 0 3 0 24:24
Mar 14, 2021 vs LAK W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 23:07
Mar 12, 2021 vs LAK W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 25:43
Mar 10, 2021 vs ARI W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 29:33
Mar 8, 2021 vs ARI L 2-3 0 1 1 -1 0 4 1 27:25
Mar 6, 2021 vs ANA L 4-5 (OT) 0 2 2 -1 0 2 3 24:17
Mar 5, 2021 vs ANA W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28:41
Mar 3, 2021 @ SJS W 4-0 1 0 1 2 0 3 1 25:38
Mar 1, 2021 @ SJS L 2-6 1 0 1 -3 0 1 0 25:41
Feb 27, 2021 @ ARI W 6-2 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 25:05
Feb 26, 2021 @ ARI W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 3 24:30
Feb 24, 2021 vs MIN L 2-6 0 1 1 -1 0 3 0 24:44
Feb 22, 2021 vs VGK L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 21:19
Feb 20, 2021 vs VGK W 3-2 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 20:48
Feb 2, 2021 vs MIN W 2-1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 25:47
Jan 31, 2021 @ MIN L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 2 1 1 26:13
Jan 30, 2021 @ MIN W 5-1 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 24:58
Jan 28, 2021 vs SJS W 3-0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 19:59
Jan 26, 2021 vs SJS W 7-3 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 19:08
Jan 24, 2021 @ ANA L 1-3 0 0 0 -2 2 3 2 21:21
Jan 22, 2021 @ ANA W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 19:35
Jan 21, 2021 @ LAK L 2-4 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 18:41
Jan 19, 2021 @ LAK W 3-2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 18:03
Jan 15, 2021 vs STL W 8-0 0 2 2 2 2 7 1 22:50
Jan 13, 2021 vs STL L 1-4 0 1 1 -2 0 3 1 21:29