The Avalanche have traded forward Valeri Nichushkin
· Yahoo Sports
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The Colorado Avalanche have traded forward Valeri Nichushkin to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2026 2nd-round pick, 2027 3rd-round pick, and 2028 5th-round pick.
Avs GM Joe Sakic clears just over $6 million annually off his team's payroll with this move, which is vitally important considering that he's looking to enter contract negotiations with Cale Makar this offseason.
Makar is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Avalanche on July 1st and it's clear that Sakic is doing everything he can to clear the books so that he can make his best possible offer on a long-term deal for Makar.
As for Nichushkin, today's news concludes a tumultuous time for him in Denver. On the ice, there is no denying his value. Since joining the Avalanche in 2019, Nichushkin transformed himself from a former first-round draft pick who struggled to meet expectations into one of the NHL's premier two-way power forwards. He became a crucial piece of Colorado's Stanley Cup championship team in 2022, using his size, speed, defensive awareness, and surprising offensive touch to establish himself as one of head coach Jared Bednar's most trusted players.
For several seasons, Nichushkin's resurgence was one of hockey's best success stories. After managing just 74 points in 223 games with the Dallas Stars, he arrived in Colorado on a low-cost contract and rebuilt his career from the ground up. His impact went far beyond the scoresheet. He became a dominant puck-retrieval player, a penalty-killing specialist, and eventually a consistent top-six scorer. By the 2023-24 season, he was arguably playing the best hockey of his career, scoring 28 goals in just 54 regular-season games and leading the Avalanche offensively during the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Nichushkin's tenure in Colorado will also be remembered for a series of off-ice controversies that repeatedly disrupted both his career and the Avalanche's Stanley Cup aspirations.
The first major incident occurred during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs when Nichushkin abruptly left the team during its first-round series against the Seattle Kraken. Reports later revealed that police had responded to an incident at the team hotel involving an intoxicated woman who required medical assistance. No criminal charges were filed, but Nichushkin did not return for the remainder of the series, leaving many questions unanswered.
The situation became even more concerning during the 2023-24 season. Nichushkin entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in January and missed nearly two months. While many hoped the situation was behind him, the controversy resurfaced in dramatic fashion during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Just hours before a critical second-round game against the Dallas Stars, the NHL announced that Nichushkin had been placed into Stage 3 of the Player Assistance Program and suspended without pay for a minimum of six months after violating the terms of the program. The suspension dealt a devastating blow to Colorado's playoff hopes and raised serious concerns about his future with the organization.
For the Avalanche, Nichushkin represents both tremendous potential and significant frustration. When available, he has proven himself capable of being one of the most impactful wingers in hockey. Yet repeated off-ice issues have overshadowed many of his accomplishments and created uncertainty for a franchise built to compete for championships every season. As talented as Nichushkin remains, his legacy in Colorado will likely be defined not only by his contributions during the Avalanche's Stanley Cup run, but also by the controversies that repeatedly prevented him from being on the ice when his team needed him most.