In a strange bit of news, Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin stepped away from the team indefinitely. Though currently unavailable, Nichushkin could be back at any moment. He may play game four, but at the moment that status remains completely up-in-the-air. This absence also explains why the power forward missed game three.
Valeri Nichushkin Unavailable, Stepped Away from Avalanche
With the length of Nichushkin’s absence completely uncertain, Colorado makes due without him. Head coach Jared Bednar called his game three absence a “maintenance day”, which he confirmed Sunday to be the information he had available to him at the time. He suffered no injury, and the absence is due to undisclosed “personal reasons”.
Things floating around twitter re: Nichushkin
– Could be an indefinite leave but he could be back for Game 4
– Apparently left team hotel for the Airport with a security team
– No longer in Seattle
– Agent nor team will explain furtherVery strange, hope everything is ok
— Drew Livingstone (@ProducerDrew_) April 23, 2023
In a strange bit of detail floating around the story, it sounds as though the forward left the Avs’ hotel in Seattle with a security entourage. They left, en route for the airport, and Nichushkin’s location now puts him somewhere outside the city. No additional explanation, from either the team, Nichushkin’s agent, or Nichushkin himself, has come to light.
If nothing changes, Nichushkin will miss game four tonight of the team’s first round series with the Seattle Kraken. Colorado enters action with a 2-1 series lead.
What this Means for the Future
Despite Nichushkin’s absence, the Avs managed to win game three by a final score of 6-4. That said, the unavailable status for Nichushkin does leave a glaring hole in the team’s top six. In 53 games this season, he scored 17 goals and 47 points. He posted 99 points over the last two seasons in Colorado, a staple player amongst their forward group.
In the first two games of the series, Nichushkin recorded one goal (his only point of the playoffs thus far). His possession metrics look on-par with how he played during last year’s championship run in Denver, so the lack of points through just two games gave no cause for concern. However, the uncertainty with Nichushkin being unavailable definitely creates more questions than answers.
Hopefully, all is well with Val. Here is hoping for a quick return to play for the big-bodied winger.
Main Photo: © Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
