Avalanche defenseman garnering high praise amid breakout season

The Colorado Avalanche are the top team in the league, roughly 20 games into the season with only one regulation loss. The team should extend many thanks to their defensive group, who lead the league in points by defensemen with 57. That's six more than the next closest team, the Montreal Canadiens. Not only is the group flying high offensively, they've been sound on the defensive side with Brent Burns' addition and Josh Manson's uptick in quality play. However, the biggest contributor might just be Sam Malinski, who's garnering more attention in the hockey world.

Sam Malinski draws in lofty comparisons

Guerilla Sports Avalanche reporters Jesse Montano and Meghan Angley spoke about Malinski and his play so far this season on a recent episode of their podcast. They mentioned head coach Jared Bednar talking about the trust that Malinski has earned from the coaching staff. In that press conference that they are referring to, Bednar also discussed Malinski's ability to be dynamic in both the offensive and defensive game, even going so far as to say he's a strong offensive threat right behind Cale Makar.

To further that point, Montano went on to say that Malinski "has some Cale Makar in him." He also went on to mention that if Malinski was skating for another team, there'd be more people making that comparison because he'd be out of Makar's shadow. I've seen those flashes of Makar in him since he first came up to the Avs, albeit in small doses. But, about midway through last season, Malinski had a huge jump in quality of play, as if the game just sort of clicked in for him.

Malinski is tied for second on the team in points by defensemen with Brent Burns at 10 points, which also puts him in the top-30 of the league. He's making a name for himself and playing at a very high level for a third-pairing defenseman. The post from Benchrates below shows that at 5-on-5, his Expected Goals For is the same as Makar's. He continues to make quality plays in transition and the offensive zone, but I think the real reason he's come into his own is Malinski's increase in quality defensive play.

Commitment to the defensive game

While I do like and see the Makar comparison, I don't think we need to stop there. As I mentioned before, I thought that midway through last season, Malinski started to really take off as a reliable defenseman. While he's always kind of been labelled as an offensive guy, his commitment to better defensive play is what's elevated him to another level. Montano and Angley discussed this as well and referenced Bednar's comments, where he touched on how his offensive contributions to the game have come from his ability to shut down the opposition on the other end.

Here's where I make the split from the Makar comparisons. While Makar is a world-class defender, it's still not the strongest aspect of his game. However, Devon Toews is highly regarded as one of the best shutdown defenders in the NHL. That midseason shift last year for Malinski really looked to me like he'd picked up on a number of things from Toews. His positioning is tighter, his decision-making is stronger, and he is strong and aggressive on the opposition.

I think that Malinski is a very smart hockey player; One of those high IQ guys who can pick up on things really well. And in all fairness, I'd have to mention that Brent Burns has helped improve the play of not only Malinski, but the entire Avs defense. Malinski's ability to pick up different things has allowed him to elevate and evolve his game, and I think that's why Jared Bednar chose Malinski to be the guy who played on his offhand side early this season.

The Avalanche and Avs fans should be excited about the future of this defense with Malinski in tow. He's playing absolutely lights out right now and has the tools to continue to get better and better. His high IQ and attention to detail will only help him more with improving both his offensive and defensive game.