Avalanche expect Valeri Nichushkin to be ready to return on Nov. 15
Suspended Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin will make his return to play on Friday against the Capitals, head coach Jared Bednar confirmed on Sunday.
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Suspended Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin will make his return to play on Friday against the Capitals, head coach Jared Bednar confirmed on Sunday.
Nichushkin is in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. His suspension is slated to last until at least mid-November, but Bednar had previously declared his hope he could be back in the lineup on Nov. 15.
The 29-year-old was cleared to return to practice back on Nov. 4.
Colorado has struggled this season, with a 7-8 record through their first 15 games. They also have many injuries, with forwards Ross Colton, Jonathan Drouin, Miles Wood, and captain Gabriel Landeskog all out long-term.
Nichushkin was unavailable for a second straight post-season last May because of circumstances away from the ice. The league and the players’ association announced his suspension an hour before the start of the Avalanche’s 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on May 13 during a second-round series Colorado would lose.
The Russian right winger also abruptly left the team in a 2023 first-round playoff series against Seattle for what was described as personal reasons. He missed the final five games of that postseason as the Avalanche lost the series 4-3.
