Valeri Nichushkin is eligible to return to play for the Avalanche next season.
Prior to The Vegas Golden Knights’ 5-2 victory over the Florida Panthers in the opening game of the Stanley Cup Final, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed that the forward is not under investigation and thus, the league will not hold him back from returning. Nichushkin left the Avs for personal reasons ahead of Game 3 in Seattle in April and missed each of the series’ last five games.
It was later revealed that Nichushkin, a key contributor in Game 2 just two nights earlier, was involved in an incident at the Four Seasons Hotel where the Avalanche were staying. The incident involved an intoxicated woman that was found in the 28-year-old Russian’s hotel room. The woman was transported to the hospital and Nichushkin was escorted out by team security just hours before puck drop.
Police reports were revealed the following week.
“We know exactly what happened and we think it was handled appropriately,” Daly told reporters at T-Mobile Arena during the NHL’s State of the Union address alongside commissioner Gary Bettman. “He is eligible to play in the league.”
Earlier this week, body cam footage from the responding Seattle PD was also released. Avs team doctor Bradley Changstrom was seen in the footage speaking with law enforcement. There were no arrests.
Bill Daly tells reporters in Vegas that there is no ongoing investigation regarding #Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin. He says the NHL knows exactly what happened and that it was handled appropriately.
"He is eligible to play in the league."
— Aarif Deen (@runwriteAarif) June 3, 2023
Nichushkin is coming off an injury-riddled season, which saw him dress in just 53 of the Avs’ 82 regular season games. He scored 17 goals and finished with 47 points. Colorado was 39-8-6 with Nichushkin in the lineup in 2022-23 and 12-16-1 without.
Following his Stanley Cup championship with Colorado in 2022, Nichushkin signed a max-term eight-year, $49 million extension. The forward is considered one of the more pivotal pieces on the Avalanche. He compiled 25 goals and 52 points in 62 games during his breakout 2021-22 season. Nichushking also added nine goals and 15 points in 20 playoff games. The Avs had a 44-12-6 record with and 12-7-1 without him in the lineup that year.
