DENVER (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin took strides to take his hard-checking, goal-scoring game to another level this season.
Same with his life away from the rink, his Colorado Avalanche teammates, coach and GM maintain.
It was nearly a year ago against the Dallas Stars when Nichushkin was suspended for six months and placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The announcement came just before Game 4 of the second-round series, marking the second straight postseason where the right winger from Russia was unavailable because of circumstances away from the ice.
Nichushkin and the Avalanche are facing the Stars — the team that drafted him in 2013 — in a first-round series that starts Saturday in Dallas.
“His personal life’s in a really good spot,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Friday before the team boarded a plane for Dallas. ”I’m just really happy for him and proud that he put in the work."
Added teammate Logan O’Connor: "Anyone that goes through that personal adversity, it’s hard not to root for them. The comeback he’s had has been remarkable. To play at the level he has, it’s definitely something that guys are proud of for him, and we certainly root for him all the time.”
When in the lineup, the 30-year-old Nichushkin has been a valuable piece for the Avalanche. The team is 224-79-29 all-time when he plays. But he’s missed the past two playoff losses for off-the-ice issues.
Earlier this week, general manager Chris MacFarland was asked about potential trust issues given what's transpired with Nichushkin.
"I’ve got the utmost confidence and faith in Val,” MacFarland said. “I look at what he’s done on the ice and what he’s had to go through, and again, have the utmost faith in him that he’s in a great place, and he’ll continue to to grind it out here for us and be a good player.”
Nichushkin missed the opening 17 games because of the suspension before making his season debut on Nov. 15 against Washington. He’s banged up, too, and sidelined for 21 games due to a lower-body injury. Still, he finished with 21 goals and 13 assists in averaging just under 20 minutes of ice time.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Nichushkin is a “forechecking machine,” according to defenseman Erik Johnson, and contributes on special teams. He had his first regular-season hat trick last month.
“Just a player everyone needs but not everybody has,” Johnson said of Nichushkin, who was an integral part of Colorado winning the Stanley Cup in 2022. “We’re luck to have him.”
It was a blow for the Avalanche losing him against the Stars. Colorado went on to lose the series in six games.
This after Nichushkin abruptly left the team in a 2023 first-round playoff series against Seattle for what was described as personal reasons. He missed the final five games of that postseason as the Avalanche lost the series 4-3.
“He took the right necessary steps to get in a healthy place. We had his back the whole time,” O’Connor said. "He's been awesome. I think he’s really improved on his own well-being, and he’s opened up more. As a locker room, we maybe weren’t doing as good of a job making him feel open before that as well. It’s collectively been really healthy this year. You’ve seen the results on the ice, and we’re really proud of him.
"It’s been a tough journey for him, but we’re happy he’s at where he’s at. He’s in a great place.”
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Pat Graham, The Associated Press
