It took the Penguins less than two days after the NHL’s trade freeze came to an end Sunday before they began to augment their roster.

On Tuesday afternoon, they acquired defenseman Samuel Girard and a second-round draft pick from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Brett Kulak.

Girard, 27, is a left-handed shot who has appeared in 40 games this season, posting 12 points (three goals, nine assists) while averaging 17:41 of ice time, including 1:02 during short-handed scenarios. He had primarily been deployed on the left side of the Avalanche’s third pairing with right-hander Sam Malinski.

A second-round draft pick (No. 47 overall) of the Nashville Predators in 2016, Girard has spent the past nine seasons with the Avalanche and was a member of that club’s Stanley Cup championship in 2022.

Girard (5-foot-10, 170 pounds) is in the sixth year of a seven-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $5 million. He is a pending unrestricted free agent in 2027.

An undisclosed injury sidelined Girard for 15 games throughout October and November.

Kulak’s tenure with the Penguins was brief. He was acquired Dec. 12 in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers. Along with goaltender Stuart Skinner and a second-round draft pick in 2029, Kulak was obtained in exchange for goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin.

During his two-plus months with the Penguins, the left-handed Kulak offered mostly satisfactory results as a defensive presence. Primarily skating on the left side of the second pairing with right-hander Kris Letang, Kulak appeared in 25 games and scored seven points (one goal, six assists) while averaging 20:20 of ice time per contest, including 1:03 during penalty killing situations.

The 32-year-old Kulak (6-foot-1, 192 pounds) is in the final year of a three-year contract with a salary cap hit of $2.75 million.

Kulak has the NHL’s ninth-longest consecutive active games played streak at 320.

Following this transaction, the Penguins now have $10,541,455 of projected salary cap space according to Puckpedia as they approach the NHL’s trade deadline on March 6, 3 p.m.