Penguins trade Brett Kulak to Avalanche for Samuel Girard and draft pick
WITH HIM ABOUT HIS MISSION AND WHAT THIS MOMENT MEANS. TY BALLOU TELLS ME WATCHING TEAM USA HOCKEY WIN GOLD AND THEIR TRIBUTE TO THE GAUDREAU FAMILY WAS INCREDIBLY EMOTIONAL. HE HAS SPENT HIS CAREER MAKING PRODUCTS LIKE THIS ONE, HONORING ATHLETES AND RAISING MONEY FOR A GOOD CAUSE. BUT HE TELLS ME THE CEREAL BOX HE CREATED FOR THE GOODROW BROTHERS IS THE FIRST IN HIS CAREER THAT HE HAS DONE FOR FREE. HE SAYS HE KNEW HE HAD TO DO SOMETHING FOR THAT FAMILY TO SEE A FATHER LOSING TWO SONS IN ONE DAY. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE. TY BALLOU KNOWS THE PAIN OF LOSING A CHILD. I HAVE A HAD A SPECIAL NEEDS SON WHO PASSED AWAY LAST YEAR. SO MY SON RYAN WAS 37 LAST YEAR, AND THE PAIN HE FELT LOSING RYAN AND THE WAY RYAN LIVED WAS WHAT MOTIVATED BALLOU TO REACH OUT TO JOHNNY AND MATTHEW GAUDREAU’S WIDOWS, MEREDITH AND MADELINE, TO CREATE A CEREAL IN THEIR HONOR TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE FAMILY FOUNDATION. THE GAUDREAU BROTHERS WERE BICYCLING TOGETHER ON THE DAY BEFORE THEIR SISTER’S WEDDING IN 2024, WHEN THEY WERE STRUCK AND KILLED. BOTH MEN HAD YOUNG FAMILIES AND BOTH PLAYED HOCKEY. JOHNNY WAS TO BE HERE ON THE ICE WITH TEAM USA WHEN THEY WON THE GOLD. THE TEAM RAISED HIS JERSEY IN VICTORY, AND BALLOU FELT THE PRIDE AND THE SADNESS. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE TRIBUTE BY THE U.S. HOCKEY TEAM. FIRST OF ALL, TO WIN THAT GAME, TO GO INTO THE STANDS WHERE MEREDITH WAS TO TAKE. AND IT’S JOHNNY JUNIOR’S BIRTHDAY. YESTERDAY, BALLOU SAYS WHILE THE LOSS FOR THE GAUDREAU’S IS STILL TOUGH, HE IS GRATEFUL TO HELP. BALLOU HAS BEEN HIS LIFE WORKING WITH ATHLETES, CREATING PRODUCTS SUCH AS FLUTIE FLAKES AND JEROME BETTIS CHAMPIONSHIP CRUNCH. BUT THE GAUDREAU FAMILY, HE SAYS, HITS HARD, AND HIS SON RYAN IS HIS INSPIRATION. I JUST SENT THEM A CHECK WITH MUCH MORE TO COME FOR $20,000 THAT WAS RAISED FROM CEREAL. HOPEFULLY MUCH MORE AFTER THIS. AND THERE’S REALLY NO THERE’S NO CAP TO IT. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THIS AS LONG AS THEY WANT TO WORK TOGETHER. THE BOND OF BROTHERS CEREAL. WITH ALL OF THE MONEY GOING TO THE GAUDREAU FAMILY FOUNDATION, CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE. AND WE HAVE A LINK FOR YOU A
Penguins trade Brett Kulak to Avalanche for Samuel Girard and draft pick
Updated: 2:03 PM EST Feb 24, 2026
Brett Kulak is on the move for the second time this season.The Pittsburgh Penguins sent the veteran defenseman to Colorado on Tuesday in exchange for defenseman Samuel Girard and a second-round pick in the 2028 draft.Video above: Pittsburgher creates cereal box in honor of Gaudreau brothers after U.S. gold medal winKulak played 25 games in Pittsburgh after being acquired in a December trade that shipped two-time All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry to Edmonton. Kulak has one goal and eight assists in 56 combined games this season for the Penguins and Oilers. Kulak’s arrival gives the Avalanche an experienced stay-at-home defenseman as Colorado tries to hold on to the top spot in the Western Conference.The 27-year-old Girard is a 10-year NHL veteran who has spent the last eight-plus seasons with the Avalanche. Girard, who is signed through the 2026-27 season, had three goals and nine assists in 40 games this season with Colorado.The additional draft capital the Penguins picked up in the deal gives them 34 picks overall over the next four drafts, including 20 selections in the first three rounds.
PITTSBURGH (AP) —
Brett Kulak is on the move for the second time this season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins sent the veteran defenseman to Colorado on Tuesday in exchange for defenseman Samuel Girard and a second-round pick in the 2028 draft.
Video above: Pittsburgher creates cereal box in honor of Gaudreau brothers after U.S. gold medal win
Kulak played 25 games in Pittsburgh after being acquired in a December trade that shipped two-time All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry to Edmonton. Kulak has one goal and eight assists in 56 combined games this season for the Penguins and Oilers. Kulak’s arrival gives the Avalanche an experienced stay-at-home defenseman as Colorado tries to hold on to the top spot in the Western Conference.
The 27-year-old Girard is a 10-year NHL veteran who has spent the last eight-plus seasons with the Avalanche. Girard, who is signed through the 2026-27 season, had three goals and nine assists in 40 games this season with Colorado.
The additional draft capital the Penguins picked up in the deal gives them 34 picks overall over the next four drafts, including 20 selections in the first three rounds.