Sam Malinski became the fifth Avalanche defenseman to lock in a deal for the 2026-27 season on Tuesday. The team announced that the 27-year-old will forgo unrestricted free agency, instead signing a four-year, $4.75 million AAV contract to remain in Colorado. The contract begins in 2026-27.
With the trade deadline less than six weeks away, what does this mean? What does it mean for this year’s Avalanche (if anything), and what does it say about the direction of the franchise’s blueline in upcoming seasons?
READ MORE: Avalanche Lock Up Sam Malinski With Four-Year Contract Extension
Colorado had an opportunity to remake its defense core over the past 12 months. They opted to trade for Ryan Lindgren last season and tried to sign him over the summer. He eventually walked in free agency and landed in Seattle.
Weeks later, the team signed Josh Manson, who took a $550,000 pay cut from his current contract to remain in Colorado for another three years. They also signed 40-year-old Brent Burns to a one-year, bonus-laden contract and kept Malinski on the team on a low-cost one-year deal. Cale Makar is still here. Devon Toews is still here. Samuel Girard is still here.
The remade blueline ended up seeing Burns replace last year’s final piece, Calvin de Haan, who was eventually turned into Lindgren. That’s it.
But now that Malinski’s locked in yet again, you have to wonder what comes next. Burns will play out the rest of the season in Colorado as he chases his first Stanley Cup. Makar, Toews, Manson, and now Malinski, are obviously not going anywhere.
As much as many dislike this dragged out conversation, the attention shifts to Girard and his future with the club.
If the Avalanche are going to make any changes to their blueline for the playoff run, the conversation starts and ends with Girard. The only other alternative is to keep Girard, and instead bring in another depth piece to serve as a more responsible No. 7 option.
But that brings us back to one question: Is that enough to win a Stanley Cup?
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The thought remains the same for next year and beyond. If you’re keeping Girard, are you fine with only replacing Burns in the offseason? Is that a defense core you feel comfortable with? And more importantly, are you okay with four defensemen making upwards of $4 million, and Manson at $3.95? What does that leave for Burns or his replacement? What does it leave for your ever-changing depth forwards, and an eventual raise for Artturi Lehkonen and Makar?
All of these questions point back to No. 49.
Girard’s tenure in Colorado is likely coming to an end. And it could be as early as before the March 6 trade deadline.
The reality is, signing Malinski, while also having Toews and Makar, makes Girard a bit of a redundancy. The Avs went out and acquired Lindgren last year to provide a more physical presence and play a similar game to Manson. They did that before knowing that Malinski was going to be a long-term piece of the roster. They made that move before seeing Malinski’s growth.
If you’re going to build around Makar, Toews, Malinski, and Manson, you need another physical body to help Manson. And that player likely needs more than what’s left on the salary cap to pay him, given that you also have Girard making $5 million.
The trade market is still working itself out. Teams that were supposed to sell are in playoff spots. Teams that were expecting to make a run for the Stanley Cup are outside of the playoff picture. But when the dust settles on the March 6 trade deadline, there will likely be a new defenseman on the team, and it’s probably going to cost Girard’s spot to make it happen.
Who that player is is yet to be determined. But the writing is on the wall. Girard has been a valuable contributor to this roster since he was acquired at 19 years old. But after him came Makar, Toews, and Malinski. Girard’s time with the Avs should be celebrated. But it should also end soon.
