Following their victory over St. Louis on Friday night, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they re-assigned defenseman Sam Malinski to AHL Colorado.
The 25-year-old is in his first professional season after signing with the Avs as a college free agent back in March. Malinski had been up with the big club for the past month and had been a regular player for most of that stretch, suiting up in 14 games, including against the Blues. In those appearances, he held his own, picking up five points along with 15 blocked shots while averaging a little over 14 minutes a night. With the Eagles, meanwhile, he has three goals and six assists in 17 games.
With that in mind, it might seem a bit curious that Colorado would opt to send Malinski down. However, he was the only waiver-exempt blueliner on their roster, making him the logical choice to be sent down to ensure they keep as much depth as possible.
While Colorado didn’t announce a corresponding roster move, Malinski’s demotion likely will mark the return of Samuel Girard. He took a leave from the team last month to enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program but has since rejoined the club. Now, with a few practices under his belt, it appears as if he’ll be ready to return and be activated into the roster spot cleared by sending Malinski down.