Recent report has Avalanche star on thin ice after brutal season ranking
Photo credit: RMNB.com
With what felt like half the roster sidelined at different times, the Colorado Avalanche had a hard time maintaining any kind of rhythm beyond their top-line talent proved to be a serious challenge.
One major contributor to the Avalanche's instability was Valeri Nichushkin. While he continues to be one of the team's most skilled and versatile forwards, his time in Denver has been far from trouble-free.
Colorado Avalanche star forward on thin ice after brutal season ranking.
Ryan Womeldorf from The Hockey Writers explains that Nichushkin's season got off to a rocky start, as he was unavailable at the beginning due to a six-month suspension for violating the NHL's substance abuse policy. That delay meant he didn't make his season debut until November 15.
"That would be bad enough to contend with, but it wasn't the end of the challenges facing Nichushkin. He suffered a lower-body injury on Dec. 31 against the Winnipeg Jets, then faced a number of setbacks along the way, ultimately returning to the lineup on Feb. 26. When all was said and done, Nichushkin managed to play just 43 regular season games, the lowest of his career. He has always had injury issues - 65 games are the most he's ever played for the Avalanche in a given season - but this season felt like one thing after another." -Womeldorf
The Avs forward got off to a slow start, failing to record a point in his first three games. However, he soon found his groove, tallying 11 points over the next 13 games. Maintaining consistency remained an issue, though, as he alternated between impressive scoring streaks and stretches without any points.
In the end, Nichushkin registered 21 goals and 34 points over 43 games.
"It is hard to fully judge Nichushkin's season because it almost feels like an incomplete. He missed the start of the season, stayed around six weeks before getting injured, and then missed two months before returning. It's hard to find any level of consistency when you can't stay in the lineup." -Womeldorf
For a player like Nichushkin, finding consistency is tough when you're trying to work your way back into the lineup more often than not.
At this point in his career, it's reasonable to expect that Nichushkin will miss significant time during the season. He has surpassed the 60-game mark just twixe since joining the Avalanche and hasn't done so since the 2021-22 campaign. With a quiet draft ahead and ongoing salary cap constraints, Colorado will need to rely heavily on core players like Val to carry the load when he's available.
| POLL | ||
MAI 31 | 40 ANSWERS Recent report has Avalanche star on thin ice after brutal season ranking Do you think Valeri Nichushkin will play over 60 games with the Avalanche next season? | ||
| yes | 29 | 72.5 % |
| no | 11 | 27.5 % |
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