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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 2017-18. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Deryk Engelland VGK · 23 P in 79 GP Ron Hainsey TOR · 23 P in 80 GP Markus Nutivaara CBJ · 23 P in 61 GP Kevin Shattenkirk NYR · 23 P in 46 GP Zdeno Chara BOS · 24 P in 73 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

2017-18 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
73 4 19 23 -11 8 84 46 0.32 4.8 17:39

Contract

$728KCap hitends in 2020, then RFA
$32KCap dollars per point23 points in 73 games
$330KCap dollars per goal above replacement2.2 goals above replacement
$2MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$1.3MValueworth 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 691 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Nashville Predators on Sep 29, 2016, as an entry-level contract: 3 years and $2.775M, beginning in 2017-18. It runs through 2019-20, with 2 seasons left after this one, and he is then a restricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2017-18 $728K $650K $93K $258K $743K
2018-19 $728K $650K $93K $183K $743K
2019-20 $728K $700K $0 $183K $700K

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 2017-18 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.

2017-18 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+2.2Goals above replacement357th of 691 skaters, 114th of 240 defencemen
+0.4Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-2.1Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 240 ranked defencemen: 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.

Even-strength offence-3.3 8th percentileEven-strength defence-1.0 34th percentilePower play+0.0 79th percentilePenalty kill+0.1 57th percentilePenalties+2.1 99th percentile

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, and the rank beside it is among defencemen. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. 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

47.7Corsi for %954 attempts for, 1045 against
-0.8CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
45.9Expected goals for %35.1 expected for, 41.3 against
-1.9xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
46.5Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
50.0Goals for %42 for, 42 against
100.9PDO8.3% shooting + 92.7% saves
125Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 600 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
Patrik Nemeth · Samuel Girard49322:3044.448.212-13
Erik Johnson · Samuel Girard44244:2850.945.011-11
Tyson Barrie · Samuel Girard50160:3645.135.13-8
Anton Lindholm · Samuel Girard31101:1941.845.74-3

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.

4Goalsnot counting empty-netters
3.3Expected goalsfrom 120 unblocked attempts
+0.7Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.16 expected goals per 60 minutes33rd
Shot quality 2.8% chance per attempt38th
Finishing +0.7 goals above expected61stOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 242 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

01234Game 20Game 40Game 60Goals 4Expected 3.3

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 this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 7, 2018 vs STL W 5-2 1 0 1 2 0 2 1 20:19
Apr 5, 2018 @ SJS L 2-4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 20:36
Apr 2, 2018 @ LAK L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 22:55
Apr 1, 2018 @ ANA L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 20:06
Mar 30, 2018 vs CHI W 5-0 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 20:46
Mar 28, 2018 vs PHI L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 16:47
Mar 26, 2018 @ VGK L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 14:40
Mar 24, 2018 vs VGK W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 17:15
Mar 22, 2018 vs LAK L 1-7 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 18:19
Mar 20, 2018 @ CHI W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 14:53
Mar 18, 2018 vs DET W 5-1 0 1 1 -1 0 0 0 15:14
Mar 16, 2018 vs NSH L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 18:41
Mar 15, 2018 @ STL W 4-1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 19:14
Mar 13, 2018 @ MIN W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 16:07
Mar 10, 2018 vs ARI W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 18:52
Mar 8, 2018 @ CBJ L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 18:55
Mar 6, 2018 @ CHI L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 3 18:51
Mar 4, 2018 vs NSH L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 16:01
Mar 2, 2018 vs MIN W 7-1 0 2 2 3 0 1 1 17:36
Feb 28, 2018 vs CGY W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 18:16
Feb 26, 2018 vs VAN W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 18:24
Feb 24, 2018 @ CGY L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 23:47
Feb 22, 2018 @ EDM L 2-3 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 22:31
Feb 20, 2018 @ VAN W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 19:37
Feb 18, 2018 vs EDM L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 20:32
Feb 16, 2018 @ WPG L 1-6 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 19:07
Feb 14, 2018 vs MTL W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 16:47
Feb 11, 2018 @ BUF W 5-4 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 13:54
Feb 10, 2018 @ CAR L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 20:36
Feb 8, 2018 @ STL L 1-6 0 0 0 -1 2 1 0 16:38
Feb 6, 2018 vs SJS W 3-1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 16:09
Feb 3, 2018 @ WPG L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16:48
Feb 1, 2018 @ EDM W 4-3 (OT) 1 0 1 -2 2 2 0 14:46
Jan 30, 2018 @ VAN L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 -2 0 1 0 19:27
Jan 25, 2018 @ STL L 1-3 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 19:45
Jan 23, 2018 @ MTL L 2-4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 17:28
Jan 22, 2018 @ TOR W 4-2 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 13:39
Jan 20, 2018 vs NYR W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 15:32
Jan 18, 2018 vs SJS W 5-3 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 14:46
Jan 15, 2018 vs ANA W 3-1 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 16:54
Jan 13, 2018 @ DAL W 4-1 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 16:48
Jan 6, 2018 vs MIN W 7-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 16:04
Jan 4, 2018 vs CBJ W 2-0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 13:19
Jan 2, 2018 vs WPG W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 17:42
Dec 31, 2017 vs NYI W 6-1 0 2 2 1 0 2 1 19:42
Dec 29, 2017 vs TOR W 4-3 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 12:00
Dec 27, 2017 vs ARI L 1-3 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 16:01
Dec 23, 2017 @ ARI W 6-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 17:18
Dec 21, 2017 @ LAK L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 11:58
Dec 18, 2017 vs PIT W 4-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 13:32
Dec 16, 2017 vs TBL L 5-6 0 0 0 -3 0 3 0 16:30
Dec 14, 2017 vs FLA W 2-1 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 11:14
Dec 12, 2017 @ WSH L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 12:30
Dec 11, 2017 @ PIT W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 14:16
Dec 9, 2017 @ FLA W 7-3 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 09:18
Dec 7, 2017 @ TBL L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 15:35
Dec 5, 2017 vs BUF L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 18:52
Dec 3, 2017 vs DAL L 2-7 0 0 0 -2 0 1 2 17:50
Dec 1, 2017 vs NJD L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 17:51
Nov 29, 2017 vs WPG W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 19:13
Nov 25, 2017 vs CGY L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 22:25
Nov 24, 2017 @ MIN L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20:35
Nov 22, 2017 vs DAL W 3-0 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 19:58
Nov 19, 2017 @ DET W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 24:20
Nov 18, 2017 @ NSH L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 21:19
Nov 16, 2017 vs WSH W 6-2 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 21:32
Nov 11, 2017 @ OTT L 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 22:39
Nov 10, 2017 vs OTT L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 21:55
Nov 1, 2017 @ SJS L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 1 13:47
Oct 27, 2017 @ CHI W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 13:32
Oct 14, 2017 @ CHI L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 16:57
Oct 12, 2017 vs DAL W 4-1 1 1 2 1 0 4 1 21:25
Oct 10, 2017 vs PHI W 6-5 0 1 1 -1 2 0 0 18:52