Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin suffers setback, ‘not close’ to return from injury
Not the best news regarding the status of one of the Colorado Avalanche’s top-scoring threats.
On Wednesday, head coach Jared Bednard revealed that forward Valeri Nichushkin is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Bednar stated that something has come up during the healing process.
“Unfortunately, he’s had a setback with his injury and is not close to coming back soon,” Bednar said.
Jared Bednar, via @AltitudeSR, on Val Nichushkin's impact on the team and timetable of return:
"He's an impact player on any line that he plays on and has a huge impact on special teams, too. One player of that caliber makes a big difference."
"Unfortunately, he's had a setback…
Nichushkin has been out of the lineup since New Year’s Eve when he reportedly suffered the injury in a game against the Winnipeg Jets. The Russian-born winger was originally listed as day-to-day, but the setback is enough to keep him out until potentially February.
The 29-year-old had been skating for the past week.
Bednar realizes the importance of having a player like Nichushkin in the lineup and that his absence is being felt.
“He’s an impact player on any line that he plays on and has a huge impact on special teams, too. One player of that caliber makes a big difference.”
It has been a tough calendar year for Nichushkin. In May, he was suspended for six months without pay after being placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. That came after he was already in the program earlier in the 2023-24 which kept him out of the lineup for nearly two months.
He made his season debut on Nov. 15 and was in the lineup every game until the injury. Nichushkin has scored 11 goals and six assists for 17 points, sitting fifth on the Avs in points per game (.81).
The Avalanche (28-19-1) have been up and down in recent weeks, splitting their last 10 games. Yet, they are still fourth in the Central Division, while holding their first Wild Card spot.