Malinksi (upper body) is expected back in the lineup for Game 1 against Vegas on Wednesday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.
Malinski sat out the final two contests of Colorado's second-round series against the Wild. In seven appearances this postseason, the 27-year-old has one goal, two assists, 14 shots, 14 blocks and seven hits. With Malinski back in the lineup and Cale Makar (undisclosed) unavailable, Jack Ahcan will remain in the lineup.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Could return Wednesday
Rotowire
Malinski (upper body) participated fully in Sunday's practice and is trending toward being ready for Game 1 against Vegas on Wednesday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.
Following a two-game absence, Malinski could be ready for the beginning of the Western Conference Finals. He has registered one goal, two assists, 14 shots on net, 14 blocked shots and seven hits in seven appearances this postseason.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Not ready to play
Rotowire
Malinski (upper body) will not be an option for Game 5 versus Minnesota on Wednesday, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.
Malinski continues to be classified as day-to-day ahead of his second straight absence due to his upper-body problem. With the blueliner on the shelf, Jack Ahcan figures to continue filling a bottom-pairing role alongside Josh Manson. Once cleared to play, Malinski should reclaim his spot in the lineup.
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Classified as day-to-day
Rotowire
Malinski (upper body) was deemed day-to-day ahead of Game 5 against the Wild on Wednesday, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.
Malinski has already missed one game due to his upper-body problem but is now in danger of missing another. In seven postseason contests this year, the 27-year-old defenseman has generated one goal, two assists and 14 shots while averaging 19:59 of ice time.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Sitting out Monday due to UBI
Rotowire
Malinski is dealing with an upper-body injury and will not suit up for Game 4 against the Wild on Monday, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com.
Jack Ahcan will make his NHL playoff debut Monday as a result of Malinski being a late scratch. While Malinski is a tough loss for the Avalanche, the team is getting Josh Manson back in the lineup after missing the last four games because of an upper-body injury. It's possible head coach Jared Bednar will have an update on Malinski's status following Game 4. Game 5 is set for Wednesday in Colorado.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Picks up pair of points
Rotowire
Malinski scored a goal on two shots, added an assist, logged three hits and went plus-3 in Sunday's 9-6 win over the Wild in Game 1.
Malinski opened the scoring at 11:12 of the first period and helped out on a Devon Toews tally in the second. The 27-year-old Malinski picked up some extra ice time as Cale Makar battled an injury issue during the contest. Through five playoff outings this year, Malinski has three points, 11 shots on net, 11 blocked shots, five hits and a plus-7 rating. He is seeing postseason action for the second time in his career after logging one assist over five games in last year's playoffs.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Scores in shootout win
Rotowire
Malinski scored a goal on four shots and blocked two shots in Monday's 2-1 shootout win over the Oilers.
Malinski tallied the opening goal at 9:05 of the second period. He has five goals, five assists and a plus-6 rating over his last 11 games, which has helped the Avalanche remain strong even in the absence of Cale Makar (upper body). Through 80 appearances this season, Malinski has eight goals, 39 points, 158 shots on net, 92 blocked shots and a plus-42 rating. With no healthy extras on the roster, the 27-year-old appears poised to play in all 82 games unless the Avalanche call up reinforcements for one or both of the final two regular-season contests.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Unlikely standout on offense
Rotowire
Malinski scored twice and added an assist in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to the Canucks.
Malinski had two of the four goals as the Avalanche rallied from a 6-2 deficit, with his second tally tying the game. That lasted for just 23 seconds before Marcus Pettersson restored a lead for the Canucks. Still, it was a big performance for Malinski, who looks set to benefit in the absence of Cale Makar (upper body), though that will likely be a short-term scenario. For the season, Malinski has seven goals, 37 points, 142 shots on net, 83 blocked shots and a plus-42 rating over 74 appearances. Malinski is worth a look as a streaming and DFS option as long as Makar remains out.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: One of each Monday
Rotowire
Malinski scored a goal on four shots, added an assist, blocked four shots and went plus-2 in Monday's 9-2 win over the Flames.
Malinski has five points, a plus-5 rating and seven blocks over his last four contests. The 27-year-old defenseman rarely steals the spotlight, but he's been excellent this year with 34 points, 140 shots on net, 82 blocks and a plus-41 rating through 73 appearances, more than double his 15-point output from the 2024-25 regular season. If Cale Makar (upper body) misses time, Malinski could carve out a larger power-play role in the short term.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Quietly turning heads
Rotowire
Malinski had a goal and an assist in a 6-2 win over the Penguins on Tuesday.
Malinski wired a wrist shot off the left post and in during a flurry of three Avs goals in a 1:55 span. The defender, who has 31 points (four goals, 27 assists) and 75 blocks in 70 games this season, had gone five games without a point. Still, he has more than doubled his previous career mark of 15 points (2024-25). Malinksi has done almost all his damage at even strength -- just one assist has come with the man advantage, and that came in mid-November.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Puts up helper Thursday
Rotowire
Malinski notched an assist, four shots on goal and two PIM in Thursday's 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.
Malinski signed a four-year contract extension Tuesday. That deal came as he's proven himself in a top-four role alongside Cale Makar in the absence of Devon Toews (upper body). Malinski has posted just four helpers with 40 shots on net and 18 blocked shots over his last 15 outings since a three-assist game in Vegas on Dec. 27. Overall, the 27-year-old blueliner has 25 points, 104 shots on net, 57 blocked shots, 25 hits and a plus-27 rating through 52 appearances, numbers worthy of a look in deeper fantasy formats.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Lands four-year extension
Rotowire
Malinski signed a four-year, $19 million contract extension with Colorado on Tuesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Malinski has three goals, 24 points, 98 shots on net and 56 blocked shots across 50 appearances this season. He has played up and down the lineup in 2025-26, but he has been skating on the top pairing with Cale Makar due to the absence of Devon Toews (upper body).
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Distributes trio of helpers
Rotowire
Malinski notched three assists, three shots on goal and a plus-3 rating in Saturday's 6-5 shootout win over the Golden Knights.
Malinski set up tallies by Samuel Girard, Martin Necas and Nathan MacKinnon in this contest. The 27-year-old Malinski has had a few good moments this year despite playing on the third pairing with minimal power-play usage. He's earned a goal and eight assists over 12 outings in December. For the season, the blueliner has 21 points (three goals, 18 assists), 64 shots on net, 39 blocked shots, 19 hits and a plus-19 rating over 37 contests.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Goal, assist in win
Rotowire
Malinski scored a goal on three shots, dished an assist, went plus-2 and blocked two shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Panthers.
Malinski earned his first multi-point effort of the season. He has two goals and four assists over his last nine outings as continues to provide quality play from the third pairing. Malinski is up to three goals, a career-high 17 points, 32 blocked shots, 55 shots on net and a plus-16 rating over 31 appearances. He's doing enough to be worth consideration in deeper fantasy formats, though his place in the lineup invites some risk for consistency.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Puts away goal in Wednesday's win
Rotowire
Malinski scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Sharks.
The goal was Malinski's first since Opening Night, but he's hardly been quiet this year. He's yet to go more than three games without a point, racking up two goals and 10 assists in 23 appearances, including seven points over 11 outings in November. Malinski has added 40 shots on net, 24 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating this season. He's flying under the radar on the Avalanche's third pairing, and while his offense may not remain steady all year, he's earned some fantasy value so far as a depth blueliner.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Pockets helper in win
Rotowire
Malinski registered an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Lightning.
Malinski ended a three-game point drought with a helper on a Ross Colton goal in the second period, which was the game-winner. The 27-year-old Malinski has provided steady depth offense from a third-pairing role this year. He's up to one goal, five assists, 26 shots on net, 16 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating through 14 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Nets goal in 100th career game
Rotowire
Malinski scored a goal in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Kings.
Malinski skated in his 100th career game Tuesday, all of which have come with the Avalanche. The 27-year-old defenseman is facing a new challenge this season, playing on his off side as a right-shot blueliner on the left. He'll eventually be challenged by Ilya Solovyov for playing time once Solovyov's visa situation is resolved. Malinski had just 13:13 of ice time Tuesday and may be sheltered for a while as he adjusts to his new role. He had 15 points in 76 regular-season outings in 2024-25.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Agrees to one-year contract
Rotowire
Malinski signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with Colorado on Monday, per PuckPedia.
Malinski generated five goals, 15 points, 115 shots on net, 107 blocked shots and 57 hits across 76 games during the 2024-25 regular season. He could enter the 2025-26 campaign on Colorado's third pairing but proved capable of handling top-four minutes last campaign when injuries piled up.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Earns assist in playoff debut
Rotowire
Malinski notched an assist in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Stars in Game 3.
This was Malinski's playoff debut after he sat out the first two games of the series in Dallas. He was still limited to 12:23 of ice time, but he was able to help out on a Valeri Nichushkin tally in the first period. Malinski had 15 points over 76 regular-season contests, but he earned three of those points over his last five outings of the campaign, so he may be able to build a little momentum if he stays in the lineup over Erik Johnson and Keaton Middleton.
1:04
1:01
0:56
10:14
1:50
1:27
1:15
1:44
1:45
0:44
0:48
1:20
1:07
1:33
1:16
1:53
1:52
10:45
1:18
