Helen H. Richardson / The Denver Post)
DENVER — Sam Girard's playoff beard won't be coming in anytime soon. He's 19, and looks like he's 15. The Avalanche rookie defenseman only plays hockey like a man.
"Sometimes you forget he's only 19. It's crazy the way he can skate, move the puck, his poise with the puck," Avs coach Jared Bednar said.
Girard — the current key piece in the Nov. 5 three-team trade that sent Matt Duchene to Ottawa — technically was acquired from Nashville, along with rookie forward Vladislav Kamenev and a second-round draft pick, for Senators forward Kyle Turris.