Why Sam Girard's 16 extra pounds won't slow him down

If anyone could have used a few extra pounds over the summer, it was Avalanche defenseman Sam Girard. But sixteen extra pounds? That number alarmed more than a few Avs fans prior to training camp. Hold the phone call to Jenny Craig, though.

Girard’s weight gain can be safely be classified as buff, not buffet.

“Those are muscle pounds,” Girard told BSN Denver.

You only had to be there to see that. Listed last season at 162 pounds, Girard checks in at 178 now and there isn’t any flab to be found on his 5-10 frame. His upper body is considerably bigger than last spring, when the Avs’ season ended against Nashville in the playoffs.

His legs look bigger too. None of the added size appears to have slowed him down at all. In fact, Girard says he’s skating faster than his rookie year.

“I practiced my skating all summer. I really feel like I’m faster,” said Girard, acquired from Nashville last winter as part of the Matt Duchene trade.

Indeed, Girard said he spent a lot of time under the tutelage of Julie Robitaille, a power-skating coach based in his native Quebec. More power, in all aspects, was the major off-season goal of Girard, who probably is the best young defensive player the Avs have had in many years.

Girard came to realize he needed more muscle after playing the Predators in the postseason. Nashville targeted him for extra physical attention, and there were some big hits that seemed to affect him. He missed three of the six games, in fact, with undisclosed injuries.

“Those extra pounds are going to help me. I’m still going to be one of the smallest guys on the ice,” Girard said. “I still have to be smart, like I was last year. But now, I feel like those 16 pounds are going to let me be more physical. But (otherwise) I don’t think my game will change much.”

Girard has a high patience level with the puck and knows how to roll off a check. He skates the puck out of the zone very well and makes a good first pass. He has the skill to score more points, probably, than the four goals and 23 points he put up in 73 games.

Avs coach Jared Bednar, when asked if Girard might have slowed down some from the extra weight, said the opposite.

“He looks quicker to me,” Bednar said.

The extra weight will be tough to keep on for the full season probably. Most players lose some weight as the season goes on. There’s just not as much time to spend in the gym and less overall for physical recovery over an 82-game schedule.

Girard has been paired in camp so far with Erik Johnson. That gives Bednar a nice left-right combo as a top-two, and probably would give Girard more time to play in the neutral zone and/or offensive end, as Johnson likes to carry the puck out of the zone and is usually the first to get the puck off the back wall in traffic.

“He’s so easy to play with,” Girard said. “I played with him a little bit last year, but to start camp with him is great.”