With the way the lineup is looking this upcoming season for the Colorado Avalanche, defenseman Sam Malinski will be on the third pair. The Avalanche have strengthened their blue line with the addition of Brent Burns. But will this help or hinder Malinski? The Cornell alum has done nothing but improve his stats since he turned pro in 2022–23. Can Malinski continue the upward trend next season?


After completing his collegiate career, Malinski played an additional 14 games with the Colorado Eagles. He gained valuable experience at the professional level and tallied 10 points in the short time. In the following season, Malinski split time between the Avalanche and the Eagles, playing 23 NHL games and 43 AHL games. His scoring trend continued from the previous season. The Minnesota native had 10 points with the Avalanche and 27 with the Eagles. He played 76 games with the Avalanche last season, and he tallied 15 points.

Malinski will thrive with a bigger defenseman at his side. He did so with Keaton Middleton in Loveland and Josh Manson in Denver. Burns towers six inches over Malinski, and their puck-moving ability will play well together. The veteran logs on average 221 shots on goal over an 82 games season to Malinski’s 146. This is bound to result in some additional points for the young defenseman from assists alone.

The former Colorado Eagle was showing a lot more confidence in the offensive zone later in the season. He scored all but four of his points after Christmas. Malinski would not have a multi-point game until March 8, 2025, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. His play became more aggressive, working the puck into the zone and taking more chances. Adding a partner like Burns will help that confidence and teach Malinski invaluable lessons. I predict Malinski could add another 10–15 points next season, mostly in assists. It will be a contract year for the young blue liner, his first of his career, so it will be a year to watch him explode.