Defenseman Samuel Girard came to the Colorado Avalanche by way of the Matt Duchene trade. The then-19-year-old was a second rounder out of Nashville who had five NHL games to his name.
The big question at the time was whether the Avalanche would play Girard at the NHL level beyond the 10-game limit — thus burning a year off his entry-level contract — or send him to the AHL.
The team told Girard at the nine-game mark to secure lodgings in Denver. In all, he played 68 regular-season games and three playoff games for Colorado.