After a season where Colorado Avalanche players broke a lot of individual records, there is a lot of attention being focused on players who weren’t even there for the bulk of the campaign. All eyes in Denver are on how Gabriel Landeskog returns to form after missing the past two seasons thanks to knee surgery. However, the longtime captain isn’t the only Avalanche impact player that will be missing from the opening night roster.
Valeri Nichushkin is in the midst of suspension that will last a minimum of six months – meaning the earliest he will return is in November. As vital as Landeskog is to the Avalanche offense and chemistry, Nichushkin’s absence may leave a much bigger hole to fill. The suspension came on the heels of Nichushkin violating the terms of the league’s player assistance program, and the main thing for the 29-year-old Russian is to sort out the personal issues that have plagued him the last few seasons. If the Avalanche want to get back to legitimately competing for a Stanley Cup, they’re going to need their tank of a winger to be available.
Nichuskin Saga Hopefully Nearing Its End
There are still a couple of months before the puck drops on the 2024-25 season, but these months might be the most important of Nichushkin’s hockey career. There is no questioning his ability, as he’s scored 20-plus goals in two of the last three seasons. He tallied 28 in 2023-24, despite missing 28 games for various reasons. He scored at least one goal in the first seven playoff games last season. Clearly, Nichuskin has no problem performing on the ice – but it’s the issues away from the rink that have been troubling.
He’s been no stranger to issues off the ice for the past couple of seasons, and like all troubles, they came with rotten timing. The most notable was when Nichushkin had to be sent home before Game 3 of the team’s first-round series against the Seattle Kraken two seasons ago. An intoxicated girl in his room led to the team calling 911, and Nichushkin was sent home for the rest of the playoffs. The team long said it was due to personal reasons, but Nichushkin told a different story on a Russian podcast.
Related: 3 Avalanche Stats that Need to Continue in 2024-25
He had to leave the team early during last season’s playoffs, too, thanks to the failed drug test that popped him into Stage 3 of the league’s player assistance program. That is where the six-month suspension came from. Up to that point, he’d scored nine of the team’s 33 postseason goals. Colorado won just one more game in the playoffs after he left. The seriousness of a six-month suspension shows how deep Nichushkin’s struggles have been. It will be interesting to see when he returns, as the earliest the suspension can be lifted is November. The sooner he returns, the better it is for the Avalanche – but an early return also means he’s more likely to have put these personal issues in the rearview mirror.
Nichushkin Makes Avs a Different Team
The career resurgence for Nichushkin is well documented. After logging just 36 goals in five scattered seasons with the Dallas Stars (and a two-year hiatus in the Kontinental Hockey League), the Avalanche took a flyer on him. He’s been in Colorado for five seasons, and the last three have yielded 152 total points. That comes despite him never playing in more than 62 games in a single campaign. His availability has long been somewhat of an issue, but those were typically from a nagging injury that caused a missed couple of games here or there.
Along with the scoring punch Nichushkin delivers, the Avalanche are simply much, much better when he is on the ice. Over the past three seasons, Colorado has a sparkling record of 118-35-16 when Nichushkin is in the lineup. Conversely, they’re 39-33-5 when he doesn’t play. That’s a drastic difference by removing just one player, proving his availability is his biggest asset. Despite missing 77 games over the past three seasons, only Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen have scored more goals for the team over that time.
Related: 3 Avalanche Players with the Most to Prove in 2024-25
Most notably, Nichushkin is a game changer in the playoffs. Over the past three seasons, he’s racked up 19 goals and 26 points in 30 playoff games. However, 20 of those games came in the 2021-22 postseason where he scored nine goals in helping Colorado lift its third Stanley Cup. Even with his issues over the last two postseasons, he’s still scored 10 goals in 10 games. The Avs scored a total of 22 goals in the nine playoff games he missed over the past two postseasons, but failed to score at least three goals in six of those contests.
Nichushkin’s Long, Strange Career Continues
Everything about Nichushkin’s NHL career has been unorthodox. From Dallas giving up on him, to his two years in the KHL, to his return to the NHL and becoming an offensive force – it’s all been outside the norm. His life off the ice clearly has its roller coaster moments as well. Despite the frustration teammates and the coaching staff had with him missing out on a chunk of the last two postseasons, the team has not wavered in their support of him. General manager Chris MacFarland said immediately that they would keep him on board through the suspension. That’s a big distinction to make for a team that’s struggling to fit in players under the salary cap, as Nichushkin pulls in $6.124 million per season.
The Avalanche don’t have to pay Nichushkin during the suspension, but he still counts against the salary cap the instant he returns. The club knows his value, and wants to see him get better. Obviously, there’s a lot going on with Nichushkin, and dealing with the personal issues is clearly the priority. It would have been easy for the organization to make a business decision and cut him loose, but he’s a proven commodity when he plays. Now he just has to do the work to make sure he can get back on the ice.
Without Nichushkin, the Avalanche’s chances for lifting the Stanley Cup become much more distant. They don’t necessarily need him back for the start of the season, but those early games help get a good footing for when the calendar turns to January and things ramp up. From a personal standpoint, everybody is rooting for Nichushkin to get the help he deserves. From a hockey standpoint, the most important thing is having him available for the playoffs. They’re simply a much better team with him on the ice, and winning another Stanley Cup after conquering his heavy personal challenges would be a great next chapter in Nichushkin’s NHL story.
