Quoting: Xqb15a
Why would Girard drop out of the top 4? Because of Manson or EJ? Get real. COL switches up pairings all the time during games, and I guarantee he finishes no worse than 4th in TOI on the d. He was averaging 20+ minutes in the playoffs with Manson and EJ in the line up.
I didn't say because Manson or EJ, I said because Byram. And once again they have tried to trade him in the past with this exact d-core. He's not necessary.
I also feel like you're missing the point of this post, it's not like I was considering the Avs needs a lot. They need a 2C, we need a top 4 dman, Byram, Toews, and Makar are untouchable, EJ's contract wouldn't fit, and Manson is not enough of a return for Miller. Simple as that.
That's what championship teams do, they balance needs. If they have an overflow in defenseman, they move a piece to maybe upgrade the forward core. If they have excess in goalies, they'll might move them to gain center depth.
Girard isn't irreplaceable, they already have Byram as a replacement. The Lightning only really had 2 or 3 great offensive defenseman during their cup runs, Hedman, Sergy, and McDonagh, and the Avs currently have Makar, Toews, Byram, Girard, and arguably EJ. Moving one of them is completely fine if it means filling the biggest hole in the lineup.