Defenseman Sam Malinski and the Colorado Avalanche have agreed on a one-year contract worth $1.4 Million. By doing so, they both avoided going to arbitration later in the summer.

Malinski possessed a strong arbitration case warranting a higher contract. This last season, he played in 76 games, triple the amount he did the season prior. He defined himself as the true third pair defenseman that the Avalanche were looking for. The Cornell graduate played just under 16 minutes per game and 5 goals to the table along with 10 assists.

It’s unsurprising that his decision to stay with the organization followed Matt Stienburg’s successful last season. The two were college roommates at Cornell, and Stienburg signed his extension on June 19th.

A dependable third-pair player, the former captain performs consistently, irrespective of his partner. Standing at only five-foot-eleven inches tall, he looked tiny compared to his partner most of the season, Keaton Middleton, who stands at six-feet-seven inches tall. Malinski gained a lot of confidence through the season, learning when he could attack in the offensive zone. When he did score, they were impressive goals.

He showed he was getting used to the speed of the NHL game after spending technically two seasons with the Colorado Eagles. In 53 games played with the Eagles, he tallied 32 points from the blue line. He added a seven points in 10 playoff games.

Malinski will be an unrestricted free agent once his contract expires next summer. Currently, his playing partner remains undetermined. Will the Avalanche acquire another defenseman? Or will they negotiate with Ryan Lindgren to keep him in Denver? Were they happy with the performance of Middleton to keep him on the third pair? Only time will tell at this point. The Avalanche now have a projected $7.55 million left in cap space.