Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin appears to be healthy to start the 2025-26 season.
For the first time in over two years, the Avalanche will open a season with Nichushkin ready to play.
More than a year ago, during Colorado’s second-round matchup against the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Nichushkin was suspended for six months and entered Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program following a failed drug test. The announcement arrived just moments before Game 4, marking the second-consecutive postseason in which the Russian forward was sidelined due to off-ice issues.
Then, on April 22, 2023—mere hours before Game 3 of Colorado’s first round series against the Seattle Kraken—team personnel checked Nichushkin’s hotel room, only to discover a severely intoxicated woman. According to the team physician, her condition was so critical that she required immediate transportation to a nearby hospital. In her disoriented state, she claimed to be “from Russia but born in Ukraine” and repeatedly insisted that a “bad person” had stolen her passport, though she did not identify anyone by name.
Following the incident, Nichushkin did not participate in the remainder of the series. Although he had intended to return for the subsequent round, the Avalanche were eliminated by Seattle under the tutelage of Dave Hakstol, who now serves as Colorado’s new assistant coach, replacing Ray Bennett, who was fired in the offseason.
Nichushkin missed the first two months of the following season while serving his suspension, returning to the ice in November only to sustain a foot injury on New Year’s Eve during Colorado’s 5-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. That setback sidelined him for nearly two months, but he returned in February and completed the playoffs without further incident.
Injuries and personal challenges have long been Nichushkin’s Achilles’ heel. He has never completed a full 82-game regular season; the closest he has come is 79 games, accomplished twice with the Dallas Stars—the team that drafted him—in the 2013–14 and 2015–16 campaigns. He has yet to approach that milestone with Colorado.
However, when Nichushkin took the ice for Monday’s optional skate at the Family Sports Center, all signs were encouraging. His very first shot of the session found nothing but net, and moments later, he one-timed a feed from Zhakhar Bardakov that sizzled into the goal.
Colorado performs at its best when Nichushkin is fully engaged. Yet the winger has often been unfairly singled out for the team’s recent playoff struggles. Hockey is a collective endeavor; no single player should bear sole responsibility for systemic shortcomings.
Consider that when the Avalanche captured the Stanley Cup in 2022, they navigated a 16-4 postseason despite missing Samuel Girard for much of the playoffs, with Nazem Kadri sidelined intermittently and Darcy Kuemper out for a stretch due to an eye injury. Depth proved essential.
It certainly does not hurt that Nichushkin reportedly enters the season in excellent mental and physical condition. The hope—for both Colorado and its fans—is that he remains healthy and continues to provide the impact that has made him a key component of the team’s success.