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.
... See More... See Less
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: 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: 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: 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: 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.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Puts home late goal
Rotowire
Malinski scored a goal and went plus-2 in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Blues.
Malinski ended a six-game point drought when he scored at 19:51 of the third period. The 26-year-old defenseman hasn't been consistent on offense this season, but he's getting an extended run in the lineup while Josh Manson (upper body) is out of action. Malinski has four goals, 13 points, 103 shots on net, 103 blocked shots, 56 hits and a plus-11 rating over 72 appearances in his first full NHL campaign.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Springs breakaway
Rotowire
Malinski notched an assist, two hits, four blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Flames.
Malinski ended a 15-game point drought with the helper. The 26-year-old went minus-2 with 13 shots on net, 20 hits and 17 blocked shots in that span. He's struggled to put together steady performances for large portions of 2024-25. The blueliner has just six points to go with 71 shots on net, 42 hits, 76 blocks and a plus-1 rating over 53 appearances. Malinski has a little short-term security in the lineup as long as Josh Manson (lower body) is out, but he'll be competing with Oliver Kylington, Keaton Middleton and Calvin de Haan once the Avalanche's defense corps is back to full health.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Snaps slump with assist
Rotowire
Malinski registered an assist in Friday's 4-1 win over Utah.
Malinski sparked the play leading to Artturi Lehkonen's opening goal at 11:52 of the second period. The helper ended a 21-game slump for Malinski, who has maintained a bottom-four role despite the lack of offense in that span. For the season, he's at five points, 57 shots on net, 55 blocked shots, 20 hits and a plus-1 rating over 37 appearances. The return of Josh Manson (upper body) will likely cost Malinski minutes, but John Ludvig doesn't appear to be much of a threat to his spot in the lineup.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Stuck in drought
Rotowire
Malinski was held off the scoresheet for the 17th game in a row Saturday in a 5-2 win over the Predators.
Malinski has moved up the depth chart in that time due to the injury absences of Josh Manson (upper body) and Oliver Kylington (upper body). Still, the larger role isn't leading to more offense. Malinski has four points, 45 shots on net, 50 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating through 32 appearances, down from the 10 points he put up over 23 regular-season outings last year.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Scores in Saturday's win
Rotowire
Malinski scored a goal, blocked two shots and added two PIM in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Hurricanes.
Malinski snapped a four-game point drought with his first goal of the campaign. The 26-year-old defenseman has held onto a third-pairing role all season, and the Avalanche's lone change on the blue line Saturday was to bring in John Ludvig for Calvin de Haan, which suggests Malinski has some job security. Overall, Malinski has four points, 19 shots on net, 16 blocked shots, eight hits and a minus-2 rating over 15 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Adds assist in loss
Rotowire
Malinski notched an assist and two shots on goal in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Blackhawks.
This was Malinski's third helper in the last four games, which is all of his offense this season. The 26-year-old is doing well to maintain a spot on the third pairing, though it's come with only sporadic power-play time and limited minutes overall. Malinski is averaging 15:26 of ice time while supplying 13 shots on net, 11 blocked shots, six hits and a plus-1 rating across 10 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Recalled Monday
Rotowire
Malinski was promoted from AHL Colorado on Monday, per CapFriendly.
Malinski scored 10 points in 23 games with the Avalanche this season but hasn't made an NHL appearance since Feb. 6. He'll provide the team with some extra depth this postseason.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Reassigned to minors
Rotowire
Malinski was demoted to AHL Colorado on Friday.
Malinski has 10 points through 22 NHL games this season, including three over his last four appearances. He was demoted to make room for Zach Parise, who signed with the Avalanche on Friday.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Scores on power play
Rotowire
Malinski scored a power-play goal and had an even-strength assist in Tuesday's 7-4 win over Ottawa. He added two shots, one block and one hit to his line over 17:17 of ice time.
Malinski set up Colorado's second goal with a stretch pass that resulted in Jason Polin's first NHL tally. Malinski then potted the game-winner one second before the Avalanche's man-advantage ended. His wrist shot eluded Mads Sogaard, who lost his stick on the play. The two-point effort was Malinski's second and gave the 25-year-old blueliner eight points through 19 games. He should stick around until Bowen Byram (lower body) is ready to play. Byram was given a seven-to-14 day timeline back on Jan 7.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Lights lamp Monday
Rotowire
Malinski scored a goal and blocked two shots in Monday's 4-3 shootout win over the Bruins.
Malinski was called up with Josh Manson (undisclosed) questionable going into the game, and the former got into the lineup when the latter couldn't play. The goal was Malinski's second of the season, snapping a four-game point drought from before he was sent down at the end of December. The 25-year-old has added four assists, 16 shots on net, 17 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating through 15 appearances. He'll likely continue to bounce between levels, but he's clearly the Avalanche's top call-up option when they need blue-line help.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Generates helper
Rotowire
Malinski logged a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Blackhawks.
Malinski helped out on Valeri Nichushkin's second goal of the game. With Cale Makar (lower body) sidelined by a lingering lower-body issue, Malinski has worked his way into a role on the second power-play unit. The 25-year-old is up to five points, 11 shots on net, 15 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating through 10 contests overall, so it appears Malinski could stick in the NHL for a bit.
... See More... See Less
Avalanche's Sam Malinski: Picks up second helper
Rotowire
Malinski recorded an assist in Monday's 6-5 win over the Flames.
Malinski posted his second helper over the last three games. The 25-year-old has seemingly leaped over Caleb Jones on the depth chart, though Malinski has seen less than 15 minutes of ice time in each of his last three outings. He's added six shots on net, seven blocked shots and a plus-1 rating through six appearances this season.
