When Sam Malinski was about 10 years old, he went to a nearby Cub Foods grocery store to get an autograph from one of his local heroes.
Malinski is now 27 and about to enter his second full season as an NHL defenseman. When he sits in his stall at Family Sports Center after an Avalanche practice and looks a few spots down to his right, he sees the same guy. He’s older now, with a large beard and missing teeth.
There is a photo somewhere at home in Minnesota of a young Malinski with then-Wild defenseman Brent Burns.
“I remember the whole experience really well,” Malinski said. “He was just pretty much exactly who is he now, to even just me as a little kid. It’s pretty cool.
“I’ve talked to him a bunch. He just has a great presence for the room. He’s a ton of fun to be around. I don’t know how he’s still playing the way he is at his age. It’s really impressive. It will be fun to get more time with him.”
Malinski may get to be Burns’ defense partner a lot this season, which is something his 10-year-old self would have never dreamed of. Not just because of the 13-year age gap — but because Malinski and Burns are right-handed defensemen.
It’s a strange quirk about hockey, but there are far more left-shooting players than righties. NHL teams often play left-handed players at right wing or on the right side of a defense pairing to compensate. Before the Avs traded Mikko Rantanen for Martin Necas, there were times when the entire top-six forward group was lefties.
This is, for now, going to be a very different season for the Avalanche. Colorado has four right-handed defensemen among its top six players at the position: Cale Makar, Josh Manson, Burns and Malinski.
Shortly after Burns signed with the club as a free agent on July 1, it became clear this was the likely possibility. And Malinski drew the proverbial short straw.
“Playing the left side is definitely different,” Malinski said. “It doesn’t feel quite as natural. It’s a new challenge. It’s something I want to get good at, and add to my toolbox.”
The Avs told Malinski after Burns signed to be prepared. He’s asked special assistant to the general manager and former teammate Andrew Cogliano for some help with what to work on after practices. He’s watched some video of right-handed guys playing on the left side.
And the team is trying to get him as many reps, both in practices and games, as possible. He played his second exhibition game Tuesday night, and Avs coach Jared Bednar even moved a lefty (Jack Ahcan) to the right side so there was a spot for Malinski on the left.
“If Sam’s not going to play right for us, unless there’s injuries, then he needs to play left,” Bednar said. “Game situations — when you’re playing an opposition that’s hungry and trying to win and is going to make it difficult on you — as many reps as we can get him in that to get him more comfortable, the better off we are.
“I think he started like he looked more comfortable on the left (Tuesday) night than he did in the previous game. And hopefully that continues.”
A lot of forwards like to play on their off side, in part because it’s easier to set up for one-timers. Think of all the goals Rantanen scored that way for the Avs, or right-shooting Alex Ovechkin playing on the left wing for the Washington Capitals.
It’s different for defensemen, and particularly for righties. Malinski has spent his entire career as a defenseman stopping pucks that wrap around the boards a certain way, making and receiving passes with his partner the same way.
Now, everything is the opposite. And he’s taking a crash course on how to make it work.
“A lot better than I did a couple weeks ago, that’s for sure,” Malinski said Tuesday night about how he feels. “I think games are sort of where I find myself a little more comfortable, but also in those vulnerable positions, too. So yeah, I’m feeling better as we go.
“It’s not something where I can just flip a switch and it’s going to be perfect right away. There’s going to be a little transition period. I’m not going to expect myself to be perfect here through training camp and preseason, so just keep trying to grow.”