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Valeri Nichushkin

Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin To Return On Friday

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The Colorado Avalanche are prepared to welcome winger Valeri Nichushkin back to the game lineup in their Friday matchup against the Washington Capitals, head coach Jared Bednar shared with media including Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports. Nichushkin hasn’t played since being placed into Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on May 14th, which included with a six-month suspension from team activity and pay. The Stage 3 placement also required Nichushkin to submit an application to be considered for reinstatement at the end of his suspension. He returned to Denver in early October and rejoined the team’s practices in early November. He’s eligible to return to the lineup on November 13th, though Colorado will seemingly choose to push that return back a couple of days.

Nichushkin entered the Player Assistance Program square in the middle of Colorado’s second-round series against the Dallas Stars in last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. He was playing at an all-time high at the time, with nine goals and 10 points through eight postseason games. Colorado would ultimately relinquish the series to Dallas with a two-overtime loss in Game 6.

Nichushkin has been a welcome gift on the ice. He’s carved out a considerable top-six role since joining Colorado via waivers in 2019, proving capable of both routine scoring and great off-puck habits. Those traits have helped Nichushkin routinely rival the 25-goal and 50-point marks in each of the last three seasons, even despite totaling 77 missed games in that span. He’s been even better in the postseason, scoring 15 points in 20 games during Colorado’s run to a 2022 Stanley Cup win, and was one of only five Avalanche to score above a point-per-game pace in last year’s postseason.

That production has made it all the more difficult for Colorado to deal with Nichushkin’s routine absences. He’s hit every hole in the road, being forced out by multiple upper-body injuries across 2021, 2022, and 2023; and was sat by the team for the final five games of their 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs for personal reasons. Nichushkin has become a contentious player, but head coach Bednar spoke positively about his return to the lineup, saying: “[His process back has] been great. I think the guys are excited to get him back, and Friday is the day. We’re only two games away.” Nichushkin had 13 points in the final 15 games of the 2023-24 regular season, and will look to quickly pick up from where he left off.

Avalanche Place Miles Wood On IR, Valeri Nichushkin Cleared To Practice

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The Avalanche announced today that they’ve summoned forwards Ivan Ivan, Nikolai Kovalenko and Nikita Prishchepov back up from AHL Colorado after papering them down yesterday. They only had two open spots on the active roster after activating Artturi Lehkonen from injured reserve, so winger Miles Wood was placed on IR retroactive to Oct. 28 in a corresponding transaction to open the extra spot. Additionally, the team confirmed that Valeri Nichushkin has been cleared to practice with the team as he enters the final few days of his participation in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and corresponding suspension.

Wood would be eligible to come off IR as soon as tomorrow’s game against the Kraken, but that won’t happen. Head coach Jared Bednar said on Oct. 30 that Wood was set to miss around seven to 10 days with the upper-body injury that’s kept him out of Colorado’s last two contests. That pushes his return to the lineup to Thursday against the Jets or the Hurricanes next weekend.

The 29-year-old’s absence adds to a laundry list of injuries at forward for the Avalanche, although they’ll certainly take a swap of him for Lehkonen coming off IR. The checking winger hadn’t been much of a factor for the Avs yet this season, limited to one goal on 19 shots and no assists through 10 games. He had averaged 13:40 per game, one second lower than last season, despite Colorado being without Lehkonen, Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog throughout the entire campaign to date.

With Lehkonen back and the aforementioned trio recalled, the Avs may be able to dress 12 forwards tomorrow for the first time since Wood’s injury. Defenseman Oliver Kylington had suited up on the wing in back-to-back games with Wood out and no roster flexibility for an additional recall from the AHL.

Ivan and Kovalenko each have four points through 12 games this season, both their first regular-season contests in the NHL. Ivan had no previous major-league experience, while Kovalenko suited up twice for the Avs in last year’s playoffs. Meanwhile, all signs point to Prishchepov playing his second NHL game tomorrow. The 20-year-old was selected 217th overall just a few months ago in the 2024 draft and logged 13:30 in his debut against the Predators on Saturday, registering two shots and three hits.

For Nichushkin, his being cleared to practice indicates that he’s fulfilled all the requirements of his Stage 3 placement so far. His corresponding six-month suspension was handed out on May 13, 2024, while the Avalanche were amid their Second Round series against the Stars. He’s eligible to return to the lineup on Nov. 13 against the Kings, and with a nine-day run-up to practice, it’s looking likelier than not that he’ll play.

While a separate stint in the Player Assistance Program limited Nichushkin to 54 games last season, he’s coming off the best campaign of his nine-year NHL career. The 6’4″, 210-lb Russian winger notched 28 goals and 53 points for a career-high 0.98 points per game, also averaging a career-high 21:21 per night. Despite the extended absence, he also led the club with 16 power-play goals.

Nichushkin has six years remaining on the eight-year, $49MM extension he signed in 2022 to keep him off the open market. Many speculated the Avs would try and move that contract given Nichushkin’s struggles to stay in the lineup since the deal began (he’s only played in 107 of 164 possible regular-season games). But given their bevy of injuries and correspondingly underwhelming 5-7-0 record, it makes little sense to part ways with a player who’s been an invaluable part of their top six when healthy.

Avalanche Provide Updates On Kaapo Kahkonen And Valeri Nichushkin

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While Colorado added some goalie depth a little more than a week ago with the claiming of Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from Winnipeg, he wasn’t available to them as he went through the work visa process.  However, the team announced (Twitter link) that he has joined the team and will take part in practice with them today, meaning he has cleared that process.

Goaltending has been an issue for the Avs early on this season with Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen combining to allow 24 goals on just 123 shots for a combined save percentage of .805.  While this is certainly a case of a small sample size, it’s also an area of concern with Georgiev struggling at times in the second half of last season.

While Kahkonen is coming off somewhat of a rough year himself that saw him post a 3.64 GAA and a .898 SV% in 37 games between San Jose and New Jersey, he will at least give them another option with some NHL experience with Annunen having just 20 career appearances under his belt.  Kahkonen will likely need a few practices before he’s game-ready with how long he had to sit but he should be a playable option for them before too long.

With Kahkonen joining the active roster, a corresponding move was needed to formally activate him as they were already at the maximum of 23 players.  That was made with the team moving Devon Toews to injured reserve.  His presence there might be short-lived, however, as Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette notes (Twitter link) that Toews took part in practice for the Avs today.

Meanwhile, the team also revealed that winger Valeri Nichushkin has arrived in Denver and will begin to work out and skate on his own.  He remains in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and isn’t eligible to return to NHL action until November 13th.  However, the fact that he is coming to the city several weeks in advance to start working out suggests that he’s on track to return at that time.

For the time being, Nichushkin’s $6.125MM AAV is not counting against Colorado’s cap number.  Assuming he gets the green light next month, he’ll come back on their books.  That said, with Gabriel Landeskog and Tucker Poolman presently on LTIR, they will have enough cap flexibility to activate him without any issues at that time.

Central Notes: Rantanen, Nichushkin, Hellebuyck, Crouse

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All signs indicate the Colorado Avalanche will enter the 2024-25 regular season without an extension ironed out with one of their star forwards, Mikko Rantanen. The organization isn’t concerned about Rantanen reaching unrestricted free agency next summer with Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports reporting general manager Chris MacFarland isn’t worried about the negotiations.

Rantanen has been one of the most underappreciated players in the league over the last several years scoring 242 goals and 579 points in 486 games since 2017-18 with an additional five goals and 25 points in 20 games during Colorado’s run to the Stanley Cup in 2022. He hasn’t received as much attention as teammates Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar on the national stage but he’s become an integral part of the Avalanche’s success.

His camp will likely use Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl’s new eight-year, $112MM extension as a starting point and work down from there. Draisaitl has averaged 0.16 more points a game than Rantanen since the 2017-18 season with an Art Ross Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award. He will certainly increase his current $9.25MM salary but Colorado will attempt to keep him under MacKinnon’s $12.6MM salary.

Other Central notes:

  • MacFarland also gave a small update on Valeri Nichushkin who is still away from the team due to his six-month suspension last season (X Link). Nichushkin can return to the ice with the Avalanche on November 13th, 2024 but general manager MacFarland shares that he expects Nichushkin to return to Denver sometime toward the end of October. The team continues to work through his reintegration process back to the NHL but all signs have been positive up to this point.
  • Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been away from the Winnipeg Jets because of personal reasons. The absence isn’t expected to carry over into the regular season with TSN’s John Lu reporting he will return to practice with the team on Wednesday and will be the opening night starter tomorrow night against the Edmonton Oilers.
  • The Utah Hockey Club has already laid out its leadership hierarchy to start the year by naming Clayton Keller the first captain in franchise history. TSN’s Chris Johnston reported earlier the team has named Lawson Crouse an ’associate captain’ for the 2024-25 regular season which is an interesting designation. Most teams refer to players wearing an ’A’ on their jerseys as ’alternate captains’ unlike what Utah has done with Crouse.

Evening Notes: Lankinen, Nichushkin, Pieniniemi

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The Vancouver Canucks are narrowing in on a deal with goaltender Kevin Lankinen reports CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal. He’ll support the team as they await the return of Thatcher Demko, who is taking longer than expected to recover from his knee injury.

A deal in Vancouver would move Lankinen on from four seasons in the Central Division – split between the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators. He debuted as Chicago’s starter in the shortened 2020-21 season, recording 17 wins and a .909 save percentage across 37 games. It was an impressive start to the undrafted free agent’s career, though not strong enough to hang onto the starting role when Chicago signed Marc-Andre Fleury that summer. Lankinen has been a proud backup ever since, with his ice time dwindling to just 24 games with Nashville last season.

Vancouver could offer Lankinen his first true shot at a starting role in a while – though he’ll have to beat out postseason wonder Arturs Silovs. Silovs took over for Demko in last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs with just nine career games to his name. He’d end up playing 10 more, posting a .898 save percentage and showing plenty of ability to win games when his team needed him. Silovs will be the favorite for the starting role entering camp, but Lankinen could offer quick relief should he struggle.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Sergey Fedotov, a former scout for the Russian National Team, told Russia’s Sports.ru that Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin will be ready to return to the NHL in November. Nichushkin entered the NHL Player’s Assistance Program in May, missing out on the bulk of the postseason after a red-hot start – nine goals and 10 points in eight games. Nichushkin scored a collective 63 points in 62 games this season and will stand as a top option in Colorado’s lineup when he returns, though speculation will remain until the team formally announces his return.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins defense prospect Emil Pieniniemi – the 91st pick in the 2023 NHL Draft – has signed with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs for the 2024-25 season. The move kicks off his career in North America after growing up through Kärpät’s junior system and playing 39 games with the Liiga club. He scored six points in those appearances but has already looked more impressive in international play this summer – posting four points in four games during Finland’s U20 friendlies. He’ll now look to maintain that scoring momentum into the much-quicker-paced CHL next season.

Gabriel Landeskog Aiming For Early-Season Return

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One of the question marks surrounding the Avalanche this summer is the future of Gabriel Landeskog.  While it’s well-known that he was intending to try to return from continued knee issues that cost him the last two seasons, the realistic possibility of that happening wasn’t exactly obvious as it’s a situation that doesn’t come up too often.

Speaking with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, head coach Jared Bednar indicated that Colorado’s captain will not be ready to return when the puck drops on the regular season in October.  However, Landeskog appears to be aiming for an early-season return.  That said, Bednar puts that timeline between the first month or two of the year, noting that the exact timing remains up to Landeskog.

The 31-year-old had quadriceps surgery during the 2020 playoffs and had knee surgery in March and October 2022.  He then underwent cartilage replacement surgery on his knee last May after the procedure six months earlier didn’t fix the injury.  Late last season, the team indicated that there was a possibility that Landeskog could return depending on how far they went in the playoffs.  However, they were ousted in the second round by Dallas and that return never materialized.

When healthy, Landeskog has been a key part of Colorado’s forward group.  In 2021-22, his last season of action, he recorded 30 goals and 29 assists in just 51 games as a mainstay on the top line.  Over his past four years (excluding the last two where he didn’t play), he has 230 points in 232 contests.  While it wouldn’t be realistic to expect Landeskog to come back and produce at a similar rate after being off for so long, his eventual return should still bolster their depth at a minimum while potentially giving them a boost lower in the lineup.

From a salary cap perspective, if the minimum return timeline for Landeskog is a month, he’ll be eligible to land back on LTIR to start the season.  Between that and Valeri Nichushkin not counting against the cap while in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, Colorado will safely be in cap compliance when the regular season gets underway.  But when (or if) both players can return, then they could be very tight to the Upper Limit depending on how they fill out their roster over the next couple of months.

In other injury news, Bednar indicated that winger Logan O’Connor should be ready to start the season after undergoing hip surgery in March.  However, he’s not as certain that winger Artturi Lehkonen will be medically cleared by the opener; he had shoulder surgery after the playoffs.  If he’s not available on opening night, the Avs will be down three of their top wingers to start the season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Avalanche Notes: Landeskog, Nichushkin, Lehkonen, Mittelstadt, Ritchie

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Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog isn’t retiring after missing a second straight season with knee injuries, he confirmed to reporters Thursday (via Aarif Deen of Mile High Sports).

It remains to be seen whether Landeskog will be ready for training camp in the fall but he’s planning on returning sometime during the 2024-25 regular season, he said. He’s had no setbacks in his recovery for the last two months while slowly ramping up his on-ice workload (via Deen).

While it’s fortunate news for general manager Chris MacFarland that his captain will likely be back on the ice next season, the lack of a real update today muddies his offseason planning. He can operate under the assumption that Landeskog’s $7MM cap hit can be placed on offseason long-term injured reserve for additional flexibility, but with an in-season return expected, he’ll need to leave enough space under the $87.7MM upper limit to activate Landeskog at some point down the line.

Including the cap hits of Landeskog but not Valeri Nichushkin (more on him in a few paragraphs), the Avalanche have $15.9MM in projected cap space next season, per CapFriendly. That’ll evaporate quickly, though, as they only have 13 roster players signed. They’ll need to fill seven to nine spots with that money, plus leaving $6.125MM to activate Nichushkin once his six-month suspension is lifted. That’s an average of around $1.25MM per unsigned player.

Their core remains intact, though, with their top skater unit of Artturi Lehkonen, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Devon Toews and Cale Makar all signed through next season.

More out of Colorado:

  • Speaking to reporters today, MacFarland called it “plausible” that Nichushkin would suit up for the Avalanche once he exits Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in November at the earliest (via Deen). Nichushkin does not count against the cap during his suspension, but MacFarland cannot trade, buy out, or terminate the six remaining seasons of his $6.125MM AAV contract. The Russian winger had 53 points in 54 games this season, limited by an earlier stint in the Player Assistance Program.
  • Unfortunately, Landeskog isn’t the only important winger whose status for the beginning of training camp is in doubt. Lehkonen needs offseason shoulder surgery, MacFarland said, and may miss the beginning of preseason activities. His absence isn’t expected to stretch into the regular season, though. The Finnish winger missed nearly half of 2023-24 with a neck injury, but managed 16 goals and 34 points in 45 games when healthy. Trade deadline acquisition Casey Mittelstadt was also dealing with an injury during the postseason, but it won’t require surgery and “isn’t a long-term issue.”
  • The Avs hope to get 2023 first-round pick Calum Ritchie signed to his entry-level contract this summer, MacFarland said. Ritchie, 19, finished sixth in the Ontario Hockey League in points per game with 80 in 50 appearances for the Oshawa Generals. Likely to slot into a middle-six center role long-term, Ritchie is Colorado’s best forward prospect by a wide margin. He would need to return to Oshawa next season if he doesn’t crack the NHL roster, however. His 20th birthday doesn’t fall until after New Year’s Day.

Valeri Nichushkin Placed In Stage 3 Of Player Assistance Program

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The National Hockey League along with the National Hockey League Players’ Association have announced that Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin has been put into Stage 3 of the Player Assistance Program. The program is a joint effort between the NHL and NHLPA, and with Nichushkin in Stage 3, he will be suspended without pay for at least six months and will then need to apply to be reinstated once he is eligible.

The Avalanche are just hours away from taking to the ice for Game 4 of their second-round series against the Dallas Stars and trail 2-1. Nichushkin has been a big part of this year’s playoff push for Colorado, tallying nine goals and one assist in eight postseason games. The 29-year-old also had a strong regular season this year, dressing in 54 regular-season games and registering 28 goals and 25 assists.

Nichushkin spent time in the player assistance program earlier this year and also missed the final five playoff games last season against the Seattle Kraken for what the team called personal reasons. He has remained a solid on-ice contributor for the Avalanche posting 93 goals and 107 assists in 289 games, as well as 26 points in his last 30 playoff games. While he’s been very good for the Avalanche on the ice, his off-ice issues have limited his availability, particularly during the past two post-seasons when he’s left the team early.

Nichushkin was a feel-good story two seasons ago when he became a major contributor as the Avalanche marched to a Stanley Cup championship. He had nine goals and six assists in 20 playoff games during that run and it was a shocking turnaround after he was just three years removed from a season in which he had no goals and 10 assists in 57 games with Dallas.

Per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, “Entering Stage 3 of the Player Assistance Program means that there was a violation of the Stage 2 treatment plan and it requires a suspension without pay for at least six months and then the player is eligible to apply for reinstatement.”

Avalanche Reassign Chris Wagner

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The Avalanche have sent veteran forward Chris Wagner to AHL Colorado, the team announced. The move comes in anticipation of Valeri Nichushkin and Yakov Trenin both returning from multi-game absences due to injuries tonight against the Oilers.

Wagner signed a two-way deal with the Avs over the offseason after completing a three-year, seven-figure deal with the Bruins, most of which was spent in the minors. After registering five points in 41 games in 2020-21, the first season of his contract, he played just one NHL game in each of the following two campaigns and instead settled into a middle-six role with AHL Providence. He sustained an Achilles injury in training camp with Colorado, delaying his debut with the organization until January, and he’s since registered a goal and an assist in 11 major league games while averaging a minimal 7:39 per game.

He’s also done decently well in the minors, posting eight points and a +3 rating in 17 games with the Eagles. His all-around versatility and plug-and-play ability convinced the Avs to ink him to a one-year, two-way extension Wednesday, which is now confirmed to carry a $775K cap hit and $400K minors salary. He’s been recalled twice since returning to play with the Eagles in January, both coming under emergency conditions. His initial emergency loan was converted to a standard recall and carried him through the March 8 trade deadline, making him ineligible to play in the AHL postseason. As such, expect Wagner to return to the Avalanche as an extra when the Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off later this month.

Injury Notes: Nichushkin, Rielly, Edmundson

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Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin will join the team on their road trip and could return Friday against the Oilers, head coach Jared Bednar said today on Altitude Sports Radio (via Altitude’s Conor McGahey). The 29-year-old has carried a day-to-day designation since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Canadiens on March 26. Bednar said Nichushkin will meet the team in Minnesota ahead of tomorrow’s matchup against the Wild, which will mark his fourth straight absence.

It’s been a successful season in limited action for Nichushkin, who returned to the club in early March after spending nearly two months in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Back in his usual top-six role, Nichushkin had four goals and four assists for eight points in eight games since re-entering the lineup after the trade deadline, again averaging over 20 minutes per game. The two-way force has 26 goals and 50 points in 48 games on the season and is on pace to finish above the point-per-game mark for the first time in his nine-year career. His return will allow grinder Brandon Duhaime, who’s jumped up to a second-line role alongside Artturi Lehkonen and Casey Mittelstadt at times since being acquired from Minnesota nearly a month ago, to slot into a more comfortable fourth-line role for his offensive abilities.

Some other modifications to players’ injury statuses this morning:

  • Line rushes indicate top Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly will return tonight against the Lightning after missing four games with an upper-body injury, David Alter of The Hockey News relays. The 30-year-old will return to a top-pairing role flanked by Ilya Lyubushkin, who have controlled 56% of expected goals in 92 minutes together since the latter was re-acquired from the Ducks on March 1, per MoneyPuck. Rielly is averaging 23:49 per game this season, the second-highest mark of his career, and has 51 points in 65 contests. He’s missed nine games on the whole this season, including a five-game suspension in February for cross-checking Senators forward Ridly Greig. 40-year-old Mark Giordano, who had one goal in three games since returning from a concussion, exits the lineup to accommodate Rielly.
  • Sticking with the Leafs, defenseman Joel Edmundson participated in an optional skate today but has been ruled out of Toronto’s next two games with his undisclosed injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters today (via Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun). The trade-deadline pickup from the Capitals hasn’t played in a week and a half, last suiting up on March 24 against the Hurricanes. Edmundson, 30, had yet to get on the scoresheet in seven games with the Leafs but had seen a sharp improvement in his possession quality control, recording a 50.5 xG% in more strenuous defensive minutes compared to a 47.5% mark with the Caps. The 6’5″ bruiser is now five years removed from his Stanley Cup win with the Blues and is looking to get back there by excelling in a shutdown role in Toronto. He remains with a day-to-day designation and could return when the Leafs take on former GM Kyle Dubas and the Penguins next Monday.

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