Film Room: The subtle (and not so subtle) greatness of Sam Girard

Perhaps this is controversial, or perhaps it isn’t, but let it be known: as of right now, Samuel Girard is the Avs #1 defenseman.

Still just 21 years old, Girard led the Avs in average time on ice at 21:19 a game, but where the staff trusted him more than any other player on the team is at even strength, where he averaged over a full minute more than the next closest player (Erik Johnson).

While Jared Bednar and Nolan Pratt won’t hesitate to put Girard on the ice with Cale Makar for offensive zone face-offs, they pretty consistently use him in defensive matchups against the other teams best players.

There are some out there that still have the idea that due to his size, Girard is a little bit of a liability in his own end, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, he’ll get outmuscled here and there, but he more than makes up for it in other areas. I wanted to focus on some of the subtle things (and less subtle) things that Girard does that make him so effective, and earn him so much trust from the coaching staff, as well as his teammates.

PERFECT BOX OUT

Boxing out a forward is something that really has gone away a little bit in the modern NHL. A lot of teams teach their defensemen to front the forward and try and block the shot rather than boxing them out, which could cause even more chaos for the goaltender to see the puck. I can say, however, that the Avs practice having their defensemen box out forward very frequently at practice.

Girard, obviously, is not a big man. On this one, he’s got good positioning the entire time on Kyle Turris. When the puck moves back to the blue line, even before it switches to the other side, Girard keeps that positioning and outmuscles Turris to keep him out of Francouz’s eyes.

When the puck eventually makes it’s way to the far side defenseman, Girard has very clearly won his battle against Turris and even defended against a spin move to keep that positioning. The end result is Francouz seeing the puck and making a very easy save. It’s not a fancy play, but a fundamental defensive play that the staff wants their players to work on and Girard does to perfection here.

AWAY FROM DANGER

I think everyone who watches the Avs knows how important Girard is to the team’s breakout. Here, Girard isn’t even expecting (or ready) for the puck, but that doesn’t matter, because he’s able to use his feet to escape.

He gets the puck from Kaut along the boards, and with very little time to react, eludes Filip Forsberg and then skates away from him, using the net and his arm to protect the puck as he breaks it out. By skating away from the danger, he basically eliminates two Preds forecheckers from the play. Even though he loses the puck a little bit, Jost is exactly where he should be as the center on the line and the Avs break the puck out for a chance the other direction.

When you think about it, Girard and Makar are really the only two defensemen on the Avs roster who are likely capable of this, and really, most defensemen in the league are not going to think to do this. Most would feel the pressure and just chip it out or even ice the puck. Girard uses his feet to create a more controlled breakout that leads to a chance the other way.

PENALTY DIFFERENTIAL

When it came to the Avs defensemen, Samuel Girard was far and away the Avs most effective at drawing penalties, leading them with 18. Having taken only seven himself (one of which was a fighting major), he’s sitting at +11. Makar was the only other positive player on the blueline, at +2.

A lot of the penalties Girard draws are holds, hooks, and trips, and this is an example of a hold he drew back in December. His elusiveness forces opposing players to skate with him, and there aren’t a lot of players who can.

Kyle Connor himself is a great skater but gets caught reaching and holding here trying to stop Girard from breaking it out and takes a penalty himself. The thing about most of the penalties Girard draws is that they come in the defensive end, so he’s forcing the other team to take penalties far away from their own net. This ability is something that can’t go ignored, as he so rarely takes penalties himself that he’s going to give the Avs power play a lot more chances than he will the penalty kill.

CROSS CHECK

One little thing I noticed Girard added to his game this year was a nasty cross check along the boards in the defensive zone. As a smaller guy, he’s more likely to get away with this stuff than a big guy like Zadorov, who will just overpower a guy with a cross check. I didn’t notice it a lot from him last season, so it’s something new, and given he’s added muscle for a second straight year, he’s more confident with stuff like this.

On this play, he battles against an elite player in David Pastrnak, who tries to use his body to protect the puck. Girard waits until Pasta turns his body completely and uses the cross check to knock him off balance. When he does get a little off-balance, Girard uses his stick, which he’s very quick with, to poke the puck away, and doesn’t allow Patrice Bergeron to pick it up either. The result is an easy breakout for the Avs and avoiding sustained defensive zone pressure against one of the best lines in the NHL.

ONE MAN BREAKOUT

As we’ve already discussed, Girard is huge for the Avs breakout, and since entering the NHL, has consistently rated at the top amongst defenders in controlled breakouts.

On this play, he’s breaking the puck out while his teammates are still getting on the ice. G ain’t got time for that. He eludes Parise, showing his confidence with no one behind him to help, and from there just goes to work, getting around two more forecheckers and chipping the puck in deep. The play was too long to GIF entirely, but the end result was the Avs sustaining pressure in the offensive zone for over 30 seconds due to one man’s work on the breakout.

Not bad.

YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE SPIN ZONE

I had to include one Tornade, right?

I’ve contested all year long that I think Girard is more effective on the right side than left, because it opens him up to see the ice more and, in turn, creates more opportunity for stuff like this.

Teams know it’s coming but very rarely stop it. Girard is just too good at setting up the spin move and knowing when a player is going to bite on the first move. The best part about this one is something I think Girard can do more. Rather than continue down the boards, he uses the ice available to him, and cuts to the middle of the ice, creating a better shooting lane and a much more dangerous opportunity for himself. While it doesn’t go in, it’s something that is much more likely to create a goal than continuing along the outside.

Girard was in the middle of a career year when the league shut down, putting up 34 points in 70 games, but it’s the things outside of scoring that make him so valuable. $5M a year for the next six seasons isn’t looking too bad, is it?