Valeri Nichushkin's Official Return Date After Being Arrested Now Revealed
Valeri Nichushkin has been out of the Colorado Avalanche lineup dating back to last season due to a past arrest, but now, he's on the verge of a much needed return after he returned to practice on Monday following his stint with the NHLPA's Player Assistance Program.
The Colorado Avalanche have been in desperate need of help up front this season, as the team have fallen back to 5-7-0 through 12 games due to absences of no less than seven key forwards. Now, they're getting a major boost, as it has been revealed that Valeri Nichushkin will make his long awaited return on November 15th after the NHLPA's Player Assistance Program permitted him to return to practice with his teammates this week.
This all stems from an arrest in Seattle back in 2023 for Nichushkin, who has seemingly dealt with the issues that led to the arrest and needed help getting past that. When he's on the ice, Nichushkin has been crucial to this Avalanche team, as he posted 53 points in 54 games played during the regular season a year ago before thriving in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, tallying 9 goals and 10 points in 8 games played.
Only time will tell whether the issues that have plagued Nichushkin's NHL career thus far are in the rear view mirror for good, but that will be the hope of those involved in the Player Assistance Program and the Avalanche, who want him to remain in the NHL for a long time. Nichushkin won't be the only reinforcements that Colorado will get however, as Artturi Lehkonen will also make his return in early November, and if the entire team can get healthy and stay healthy, it's safe to say that there's plenty of confidence in Denver that another Stanley Cup run could be on the way very soon.
