Avalanche announce Valeri Nichushkin’s serious injury could force him to retire

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The Colorado Avalanche have yet to have forward Valeri Nichuskin in their lineup in the calendar year of 2025; he hasn’t played since their 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on New Year’s Eve.He’s already missed six games, and it doesn’t look like the Avalanche can expect him back any time soon, despite initially giving a tentative timeline of 7-10 days. His timeline for a return has been extended, according to head coach Jared Bednar.In the 21 games he’s played in, Nichuskin has scored 11 goals with six assists.Sans Nichushkin, the Avalanche will host the New York Rangers at Ball Arena on Tuesday night; puck drop is scheduled for 9:00 PM EST.Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended to begin the 2024-25 season Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin (13) celebrates his first period goal against the Winnipeg Jets in game five of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canada Life Centre James Carey Lauder-Imagn ImagesNichushkin was suspended for six months and entered Stage 3 of the NHLPA Player Assistance Program. He had already been in the program earlier in the 2023-24 season and missed several games while receiving treatment for an undisclosed issue.This came after he stepped aside from the team during their playoff series in 2023 against the Seattle Kraken after he was involved incident with a woman at a Seattle hotel.He was absent for the first 17 games of 2024-25 while completing the rest of his suspension, and was going to need to earn forgiveness from the rest of the club before making his return, as explained by Bednar before the season began.“I think we’re going to have to have some discussions,” Bednar said. “That’s down the road a little bit. Val’s not here. I think that we’ll address it probably prior to Val being here, and then again, when Val gets here, I’m sure Val’s gonna have some things he wants to say to the group, but understanding again, that he is part of our team, and he’s a big, important piece to our team.”“That’s kind of what a team is. It’s a family and you’ve got to roll with the punches sometimes, but there’s also got to be some forgiveness there.”The 10th overall pick of the Dallas Stars in the 2013 NHL Draft, Nichuskin his playing in his sixth season with Colorado; he helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2022 over the Tampa Bay Lightning.This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.