"Samuel has been one of our best all-around defensemen since joining the Avalanche," Colorado general manager Joe Sakic said. "He plays important minutes and is someone our coaches count on to play against other teams' top lines. He has an exceptional ability to skate and move the puck. As a member of our core, we felt it was important to sign him to a long-term deal and we are excited to announce this extension."
Colorado this offseason traded defenseman Tyson Barrie to the Toronto Maple Leafs for center Nazem Kadri, and added forward Andre Burakovsky in a trade with the Washington Capitals.
"You always like to be better every year," Girard said. "... I think my defensive game is getting better as well, and my offensive game as well, and I'm going to have to keep going that way every year. I'm very excited for next season, Joe made some good trades this summer, and I think we're going to have a good team for next season and the next couple years."
Selected by Nashville in the second round (No. 47) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Girard has 50 points (eight goals, 42 assists) in 155 regular-season games and two assists in 12 playoff games.