Veteran right winger to return for Avalanche on Friday

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 14, which included 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 Nov. 13, 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 players 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; he was sat by the team for the final five games of the 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. 

"[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," Bednar said.

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.