People have very mixed feelings about Valeri Nichuskin. Some either want him on the Colorado Avalanche or some do not. Nichushkin started the season with the Avalanche by serving a six-month suspension. He violated the terms of the NHLPA Player Assistance Program, resulting in his suspension. Because of the suspension, Nichushkin could not play, or even practice with the team until November 13, 2024. He missed the opening 17 games of the season because of this.


Nichushkin became one of the Avalanche’s most consistent scorers when he was in the lineup. He would never go over two games in a row without a point. And he only did that five times. The Russian normally would recover with a multi-point game to recover from the slump.

Nichushkin showed how important he was to the Avalanche once he came back from the suspension and then got injured. On New Year’s Eve, Nichushkin suffered a groin injury and had to leave the game against the Winnipeg Jets early. The winger would end up missing 21 straight games and not return until after the Four Nations Faceoff. Despite the suspension and long-term injury, Nichushkin tallied 21 goals and 13 assists.

Initially, the team used the 11-year veteran as they should have. He was playing on the top line and the top power play unit. Then, Nichushkin’s point production decreased, so the coaches moved him to the second line and second power play unit. He was not getting in front of the net as often as he used to, leading to less scoring opportunities.

The team did not properly use Nichushkin on special teams this season when he was healthy. But had they used Nichushkin like they had used him in the past, the Avalanche may have seen more success in the power play. This may have been part of the reason the organization parted ways with Ray Bennett.