Avalanche owe their 2022 Stanley Cup glory to a massive blunder by their divisional rival
Photo credit: Jerome Miron / Imagn Images
The Colorado Avalanche's triumphant run to the 2022 Stanley Cup largely be attributed to a significant misstep by their divisional rival, the Dallas Stars, who made the costly decision to let star forward Valeri Nichushkin walk in free agency way too soon in his career.
Nichushkin signed with the Avalanche as a free agent in the summer of 2019 after his entry-level contract was up with the Stars.
The Avalanche owe their 2022 Stanley Cup glory to a divisional rival.
Brian Sweet from Blackout Dallas writes that we've already explored some intriguing questions, like what might have happened if Tyler Seguin had been named captain of the Stars instead of Jamie Benn.
Now, we're shifting to another topic that many Stars fans have likely pondered, given the potential Nichushkin showed when drafted by the team.
The question is: would Nichushkin still be with the Stars if he had performed better? I'm sure most of you already have an idea of the answer, so let's dive into it now.
"At the time Nichushkin was with the Stars, he didn't have a good coaching staff that was able to use his physicality and scoring ability correctly. That led to him being scratched from the lineup here and there, and eventually led to his release from the Stars once his contract was up." -Sweet
Had Nichushkin stayed with the Stars, he likely would have been a longtime fixture in the organization. However, things didn't pan out, and eventually signed with the Colorado Avalanche. He could have been a standout player if the coaching staff at the time had been able to unlock his full potential.
"Nichushkin would still be playing in Dallas if the Stars had been able to utilize him effectively. While we don't know how long he would have stayed with the Stars organization, he would likely have been kept around if he played well with his teammates." -Sweet
He's currently enjoying a promising career with Colorado, which is great to see, especially when he's not playing for the Stars. Still, many Stars fans can't help but question whether their coaching staff made the most of his talents while he was with the team.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 19 | 41 ANSWERS Avalanche owe their 2022 Stanley Cup glory to a massive blunder by their divisional rival Do you think the Dallas Stars regret not-resigning star forward Valeri Nichushkin when they had the chance? | ||
| yes | 30 | 73.2 % |
| no | 11 | 26.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
