Avalanche right winger cleared to resume practicing

The NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program has cleared Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin to resume practicing with the team, the league said Monday.

Nichushkin is not yet cleared to return to game action by program administrators, but that step traditionally doesn’t come too long after a return to team activities. The Russian two-way force has been away from the Avs since entering the assistance program on Jan. 15.

Colorado cleared a roster spot for Nichushkin’s eventual return to play this morning by assigning Fredrik Olofsson to the AHL after he cleared waivers yesterday. 

Since Nichushkin’s $6.125M cap hit has counted against their books while in the program, they won’t need to make any cap-clearing transactions to reinstate him to the active roster in the coming days or weeks.

The Avalanche remain active in discussions ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, including being recently linked to the Capitals’ Anthony Mantha, but a lack of cap space makes any additions hard to work in. 

Internally, the return of Nichushkin after a weeks-long absence, plus the potential return of captain Gabriel Landeskog down the stretch, will serve as their major deadline adds.

Nichushkin, 28, has been on a consistent upward climb since joining the Avs in 2019, and he’s capped things off with his best season yet in 2023-24. 

He’s one of four Avs players with over a point per game this year, notching 22 goals and 42 points in 40 games, along with a +9 rating. 

After helping Colorado to the Stanley Cup in 2022, Nichushkin inked an eight-year, $49M extension that’s provided high-end value to the Avs thus far.

His pending return will allow recent veteran pickup Zach Parise, who has a goal and two assists through 10 games with Colorado, to drop down to a much more comfortable bottom-six role. 

He and Artturi Lehkonen will anchor their second line, hopefully providing enough support to aid the struggling Ryan Johansen in the 2C role.