Sam Malinski didn’t need a heart-to-heart, in-depth meeting. He got the message. Malinski, a healthy scratch for the past three games, returns to the lineup Wednesday night in a pivotal Central Division showdown against the Winnipeg Jets at Ball Arena. “He’s back in because we just got a handful of games and he’s taken a break and had a reset,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “I want to see him play a good, solid 200-foot hockey game. He’s got to get involved on the offensive side of it. I think he can help there. And he’s got to be a solid defender and puck mover.” Malinski played well as a fill-in guy last season for Colorado’s defense corps. He earned a spot in the lineup with a strong training camp, beating out several other players with more NHL experience. As the season progressed, Malinski became an everyday player. But, his play has had some dips of late. Then, during a particularly rough outing against the New York Rangers last week, he took one shift in the final 29 minutes of the overtime win. And he hasn’t played since. “I think I sort of got that point early on, especially the New York game,” Malinski said. “There hasn’t been a lot of conversations, but I don’t think there needs to be. I know what I need to do. “It’s obviously frustrating. It’s tough. You just have to learn from it. I’m just trying to believe that it is all part of the process and my development. I definitely understand the message, and I just need to find my game.” Colorado has had one of the deepest defense corps in the NHL for several seasons. The Avalanche traded Bo Byram last season to acquire Casey Mittelstadt, and grabbed Sean Walker as a short-term replacement. Malinski is the best internal option to be the club’s No. 5 defenseman — the guy who creates offense in a third-pairing role. He beat out Erik Brannstrom and Oliver Kylington in camp, and when he’s playing well, it gives the Avs a creator on each of the three pairings. The Avs have not had one of Malinski or Samuel Girard for different reasons recently. In games where one of the top two lines didn’t just overwhelm the opponent, the lack of offensive depth became more noticeable. “If (Malinski) is playing well, he can help,” Bednar said. “You can use him in o-zone starts, where I think he can help continue to create offense for our team, which is very important. Especially when you’re playing a stingy team like Winnipeg.” Malinski is not a typical rookie, or even second-year player. He’s 26 years old, and the path to get here was longer, as it often is for undrafted prospects. But this will be an important stretch of games coming up. He’ll need to prove the Avs can trust him in this role before the trade deadline. Malinski also needs to show he can shake off the first bit of real adversity in his NHL career, and keep moving forward. “I think it’s something everybody struggles with,” Avs defenseman Josh Manson said. “Everyone comes into the league, and you’re kind of going like this (steady upward motion) and then there’s a little dip. You’ve just got to ride through it. You’ve got to keep your confidence and keep your style of play and know that you can play in this league. I’m sure he’ll do that, and he’ll get there.” Related Articles Colorado Avalanche | Avalanche Journal: Colorado has a surprising leak in the boat, and it’s not just the power play Colorado Avalanche | Renck: Avalanche can beat NHL’s best. But inconsistency is hurting Colorado. Colorado Avalanche | Avalanche offense sputters in loss to shorthanded Wild Colorado Avalanche | How midseason shakeup changed the Avalanche locker room: “We’re closer as a group” Colorado Avalanche | Keeler: Avalanche, please don’t make Nuggets’ mistakes. Pay Mikko Rantanen. Help Cale Makar. Don’t break up the band. Footnotes: Bednar said Valeri Nichushkin is now week-to-week with no clear timeline for a return after his recent setback while recovering from a lower-body injury. General manager Chris MacFarland said on Altitude Sports Radio that Miles Wood should return before the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off break, and could be back during the upcoming three-game road trip. MacFarland also said he hopes Nichushkin can return before the break as well. The Avs’ last game before the tournament is Feb. 7 in Edmonton. Three University of Denver players are among the initial group of candidates for the Hobey Baker Award. Senior forward Jack Devine, junior forward Aiden Thompson and sophomore Zeev Buium were all nominated Wednesday. The 10 finalists will be announced March 19. Devine was a finalist last season. Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.