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Avalanche hit with brutal Valeri Nichushkin update

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Colin Gallant | Last updated Jan 22, 2025 3:57 PM ET

The Colorado Avalanche have already been without key forward Valeri Nichushkin for the last 10 games, and the Russian is not close to returning to the lineup. After suffering a setback in his recovery from a lower-body injury, the 29-year-old is now week-to-week, head coach Jared Bednar confirmed on Wednesday.

“Any time without Val is worrisome, and now we don’t have a solid timeline on his return,” Bednar told NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding. “Whenever you have a setback, you kind of work backwards, start from the ground up again, and start building back up.”

Nichushkin was suspended in May while he was in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHL Players’ Association Player Assistance Program. He made his 2024-25 debut in the middle of November and suited up for 21 games before suffering the lower-body ailment.

The former 10th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft had managed six goals and 17 points in that span.

“It’s not fun. I’ve been there, too,” said forward Mikko Rantanen, per Boulding. “You feel like you’re getting back and feeling better, and then something happens. So mentally, it’s probably the toughest part. The rehab, you have to do it to get back, but mentally, it’s hard too.”

The Avalanche have been middling in the month of January, and are just not the same team without Nichushkin.

Avalanche are a different team without Valeri Nichushkin

Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin (13) before the game against Winnipeg Jets at Ball Arena. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado was as potent as any National Hockey League team in December, playing 13 games and winning 10 of them. But after a six-game winning streak to end 2024, the Avalanche have played .500 hockey throughout January.

The Avs have been exactly .500 since January 6, winning four times and losing four times — all in regulation. With that, Bednar’s group is at 28-19-1 and fourth place in the Central Division.

Although the first-place Winnipeg Jets are only eight points up, the Avalanche are also competing with the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars, two teams that have each won six of their last 10.

While there is still a route for Colorado to win the division, the hill gets steeper with every loss. And there’s not too much to get excited about right now after the elite trio of Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

Mackenzie Blackwood has begun to falter after an electric start to his tenure in Denver, and the team has only scored five goals over their last four losses. That’s not going to cut it for a roster that fashions itself a Stanley Cup contender in 2025.

An excellent opportunity to start stringing together some wins begins against the visiting Jets at Ball Arena on Wednesday night. Puck is set to drop just past 9:30 p.m. ET for the heavyweight bout.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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