Samuel Girard

Girard was bitten by the injury bug for the first time in his brief NHL career a season ago. He missed about a month in the middle of the year due to a lower-body issue before suffering a broken sternum early in Game 3 of Colorado's second-round playoff series against the Blues, which sidelined him for the remainder of the Avalanche's run to the Stanley Cup. All told, Girard appeared in 67 regular-season games, posting five goals and 28 points. The 24-year-old is a legitimate top-four NHL defender and a major asset with the man advantage, but his fantasy ceiling will be forever capped as long as Cale Makar remains healthy. Girard is nothing more than a late-round dart throw in your draft this fall.

Let Cale Makar take the spotlight on the Avalanche's blue line -- Girard is just fine going under the radar. The 23-year-old chipped in 32 points (five goals, 27 assists) in just 48 games last season while seeing 23:13 of ice time per game. The Quebec native is a capable puck-mover in his own right on a team with no shortage of talented defensemen. Over the course of a full season, Girard should be able to surpass 40 points with a chance at 50-plus. He's also good for a blocked shot per game and some second-unit power-play production, with a chance to step into a significant role should Makar be sidelined for any reason.

Girard had his best season yet in 2019-20, tying his career highs in goals (four) and power-play points (13) while setting a new personal best in assists (30) in 70 games. The 21-year-old is locked into a top-four role and a spot on the Avalanche's second power-play unit heading into 2020-21 - he averaged 21:19 of ice time per contest last year. Girard should only continue to improve in his fourth full NHL season, which means a five-goal, 40-point pace is certainly in reach. That sort of production will make him a solid fourth or fifth option at defense for virtual managers and worthy of a mid-to-late round pick in this year's drafts.

Girard is locked in as a top-pairing defenseman for the Avalanche. Last season, the Quebec native converted four goals on 116 shots, and he supplied 23 assists -- including nine on the power play. An upper-body injury limited Girard in the playoffs, but he found his way once he had the chance to partner with rookie sensation Cale Makar in the conference semifinal series against the Sharks. Since Tyson Barrie has taken his talents to Toronto, this figures to be the year that Girard averages more than 20 minutes of ice time. There should be a lot of attention on the 21-year-old since he procured a seven-year, $35 million contract, but consider taking the bait if it looks like he'll slip to the late rounds of fantasy drafts.

Part of a blockbuster deal that sent Matt Duchene to the Senators last season, Girard immediately stepped into a contributing role for the Avalanche in 2017-18. The rookie dished out 17 assists in his first NHL campaign, adding three goals of his own to finish the campaign with 20 points. His minus-8 rating suggests Girard has some work to do on the defensive end of the ice, but the 20-year-old should continue to round out the edges as he develops. He remains a key contributor on the power play, where he notched 12 of his points last season. That will likely remain central to his production in 2018-19.