The day before the NHL free agent market opened this past offseason, Sam Malinski looked like a safe bet to be in the Colorado Avalanche lineup on opening night.
Then the Avs added not one or two, but five defensemen with more NHL experience than him before training camp began. Undeterred, Malinski not only won a spot on the club’s third pairing but he’s been one of the most consistent, stable players on the roster in a season full of upheaval.
“It’s been good. It’s been fun,” Malinski said. “Last year, with my games being broken up … this year, I guess I have a little bit more of that ability to find a rhythm and find my routine and process that works for me. So that’s definitely helped this year.”
Malinski was, like Logan O’Connor and Ivan Ivan, an undrafted free agent. He got his first taste of the NHL last season and did not look out of place in most of the 23 games he played.
Still, the idea of a 26-year-old with so few NHL games being able to step in and replace Bo Byram and Sean Walker as the club’s No. 5 defenseman was definitely a question mark when camp began. Not only has Malinski eased those questions, his play has been a strength for the Avalanche.
Malinski has played in all 23 games while the spot next to him has rotated.
“I like the way he’s defended, but he’s got lots of poise coming out of our zone, through the neutral zone,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Even if his game is just solid and quietly good, he’s still finding a way on most nights to make a play or two that’s leading to really good scoring chances.
“He’s showing up, making some plays. It’s nullifying scoring chances on the ‘D’ side, but it’s the ability to get his head up, make a real smart pass. He’s a real smart player, can use his feet to create a scoring chance. That’s putting him above some of the other guys and it’s not just recent games. It’s been going on all year. So there’s a real good maturity in his game now.”
The No. 5 spot in a defense rotation is a pretty specific role, especially for a high-powered offensive club like the Avalanche. Colorado’s third pairing needs to push the puck to the offensive end of the ice, winning the minutes against other teams’ depth players while also setting up the big guns in advantageous situations.
The Avs expect to win the minutes when Cale Makar and Devon Toews are on the ice, regardless of who they’re facing. If Malinski and his partner are also controlling the play, that becomes a significant advantage.
“He makes offensive plays,” veteran right-handed defenseman Josh Manson said. “He skates well. He’s moving the puck well. He’s breaking the puck out well. I think he has an overall, just well-rounded game. He’s just playing well, playing solid, moving his feet a lot. He’s using his assets that he has, which is getting up ice, making plays offensively and making good, clean breakout passes.”
Malinski being a right-shot defenseman does help, but Bednar wouldn’t hesitate to play two lefties on his third pairing if needed. Byram and Jack Johnson were both lefties, for example.
The numbers are strong at this point. Malinski is second to Makar among the club’s top-six defensemen in expected goals for percentage at 5-on-5. Colorado has produced nearly 56 percent of the shot attempts when Malinski is on the ice, per Natural Stat Trick, and more than 58 percent of the scoring chances.
Colorado’s expected goals percentage with his three most-frequent partners — Calvin de Haan, Oliver Kylington and Sam Girard — is higher than when any of those three guys are on the ice without Malinski. The difference for de Haan, in particular, is stark.
Both Malinski and Bednar have spoken multiple times about his consistency. Malinski credited the offseason work he’s done, plus the team’s strength and conditioning staff keeping him feeling fresh during his longest stretch of NHL games to date.
“(Consistency) is something I’ve obviously put a big emphasis on this year,” Malinski said. “Especially as a third-pairing guy, that’s something we have to bring every night. The coaching staff needs to know what they’re going to get out of us when they put us over the boards. That’s something I’m going to continue to harp on for the rest of the year.
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“Last year, it more so felt like I was walking on eggshells, trying not to get sent down and unsure what the next day held for me. This year, I think just being here as long as I have been has given me a little bit more confidence in myself to go out and play my game and just not have that fear of making mistakes.”
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