CHICAGO – Sam Malinski might be underselling things when his thoughts about his first 21 games are, “I feel good.”

According to every single metric available to NHL fans and followers, the more truthful answer from Malinski would probably be, “I feel incredible.”

Let’s run through where he sits among the 175 defensemen who have played at least 200 minutes this season.

First in expected goals-for percentage, first in actual goals-for percentage, first in scoring chances-for percentage, and fourth in high-danger chances-for percentage. The Avalanche are outscoring teams by a whopping 20 to 7 with him on the ice, and Malinski is already four points away from matching his point total from all of last season.

You see, when Malinski is on the ice, the Avalanche likely have the puck, and when they have the puck, Colorado’s goaltenders aren’t having to do a lot of work. The start to the Minnesota native’s second full season in the NHL has gone about as well as anyone could have imagined.

“I think knowing the NHL schedule and having that experience from last year, (I) have a better understanding of how to take care of my body and make sure I’m prepared for every game,” Malinski told The Denver Gazette.

So far, that experience has paid off. The Avalanche (and Malinski) are hoping the knowledge he gained from last season will help him avoid a similar dip to the one he and many other new players to the league experienced in the first full season.

From the start of December until the Four Nations break in mid-February of last season, a span that included 29 games, Malinski struggled mightily, registering just one point. The defenseman even found himself a scratch for a week during that timeframe as the team looked for ways to reset his game. That reset came in the form of the two-week Four Nations break, as Malinski came back and played well for the Avalanche down the stretch.

There’s been no need for the organization to talk to Malinski about how he can avoid a similar stretch this season because he’s playing so well. They think most of the learning has already occurred.

“Part of the dip, I think, is you come in, you turn pro after playing college and he had a little bit of experience, but you’re playing against NHL guys,” coach Jared Bednar said. “The speed, the physicality, the size, the strength of all those guys, and you got to do it every night in a condensed schedule. And it’s kind of normal for guys in the league for the first year or two to run into a bit of a wall. It’s preparation in the off-season. It’s experience getting to know the league and playing against that type of competition on a nightly basis.

“Experience can help you in future years, and we’re hoping that’s what the case is this year.”

And it’s also about staying out of your head and trusting your instincts, even if you do have a bad game or two.

“A lot of it’s just kind of mental,” Malinski said. “Just making sure that I’m in a good headspace and not getting too high or too low and just sort of staying stoic with everything I do.”

If Malinski stays in a good headspace and keeps up this level of play, he could be a very rich man at this time next year.

The 27-year-old is one of the few remaining free agents the Avalanche have on their roster, as he can hit the open market on July 1 if he doesn’t come to an agreement with Colorado. A smooth-skating right-handed defenseman who spends a heck of a lot more time in the oppositions’ end rather than his own would be highly coveted if he did hit the market.

He’s not thinking about his contract situation or what could be out there at the moment, as the system the Avalanche play is a big reason why he signed in Colorado in the first place. Instead, he’s living in the moment because he knows just how good this team is.

“I keep it out of my head, honestly,” Malinski said. “I’m just focused one day at a time. The team we have this year is something pretty special, so just enjoying that.”