Girard to IR hits Penguins at the worst time for their deadline plans
The Pittsburgh Penguins placed defenseman Sam Girard on injured reserve and recalled forward Avery Hayes from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the team announced on X Saturday, October 24, 2026.
The announcement gave no severity or timeline for Girard’s injury. He was reportedly hurt during Pittsburgh’s 6-2 loss to Vegas, when Brett Howden tripped him while he raced back to cut off a potential breakaway and he slid hard into the end boards.
A contract year interrupted
Girard’s injury lands at the worst moment for his market value. The 28-year-old was Pittsburgh’s most productive defenseman to start the season, with a goal and six assists in nine games while averaging 18:44 a night, and he is reportedly in the final season of a seven-year, $35 million contract that carries a $5 million cap hit. He would have been an unrestricted free agent next summer with a clean sell-high window into March.
That window is now cloudy. Pittsburgh reportedly paid Brett Kulak plus a 2028 second-round pick to Colorado to get Girard at last February’s trade deadline, and a rental with an unknown return date is a much harder asset to move, and clubs already juggling the cap and roster cost of a long-term injury tend to sit out those markets. He reportedly skated on his own before Thursday’s morning skate, and head coach Dan Muse offered no update on his status afterward.
A quiet week of attrition
Girard is the third Penguin placed on IR in three days. Bryan Rust and Ben Kindel reportedly went on injured reserve Thursday, with Rust set for re-evaluation in about six weeks and Rutger McGroarty recalled in response. Ilya Solovyov has reportedly been taking Girard’s spot in the lineup.
Hayes reportedly arrives with the strongest case of any Wilkes-Barre forward: five goals and nine points in six AHL games this season, a point in every game, after a 24-goal, 39-point AHL campaign last year. The undrafted winger has five goals in 16 NHL appearances and is reportedly in the final year of his entry-level deal at an $830,000 cap hit.