PITTSBURGH — 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.

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.

US team in D.C.

WASHINGTON — The gold-medal-winning U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team visited President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday afternoon before they were set to attend his State of the Union address later in the day.

Videos and photos shared on social media by Trump administration aides showed hockey team members posing for a photograph in front of the South Portico. They walked along the West Wing colonnade where Trump has posted portraits of every U.S. president just steps away from the Oval Office, where they were welcomed by Trump.

As they approached the Oval Office, some of the players popped into the press office’s open door to flash the medals from their 2-1 overtime win over Canada on Sunday at the Milan Cortina Olympics. It was the Americans’ first gold medal in men’s hockey since the “Miracle on Ice” group won in Lake Placid, New York, in 1980.

Staffers applauded and shouted, “We love you!”

“I recognize every one of you. I know every one of you,” Trump said as the players entered the Oval Office, which he has redecorated with numerous flourishes of gold that matched the players’ medals.

“Big guys,” he said, standing near his desk and shaking hands with the players, who wore dark tops with “USA,” the American flag and the Olympic rings on the front and light colored pants.

After their victory, a video that circulated on social media appeared to show Trump inviting the team on a phone call in the locker room, as he joked that he’d also have to invite the women’s team, which also won gold over Canada.

The women declined, citing scheduling issues.