The Colorado Avalanche aren’t planning on moving on from forward Valeri Nichushkin despite another off-ice incident that left the team a player short in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Nichushkin was placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and suspended for a minimum of six months without pay. The 29-year-old will be eligible to apply for reinstatement at the end of his suspension.
General manager Chris MacFarland said that terminating Nichushkin’s contract is not an option and rebuilding trust will be difficult.
“You see the number and get a pit in your stomach. That was a tough one,” MacFarland said, referring to the length of the suspension. “Val is a massive piece of our on-ice puzzle. Our record with him and without him is obviously very telling. He’s a super hockey player. … There’s not a member of our organization who doesn’t want Val to get stuff right in his own life so that he can be in a good place.
“That Monday was very disappointing. We got 25, 30 guys over the course of the season; that’s a tough blow and I felt for the group.”
The forward has appeared in all eight of the Avalanche’s playoff games, scoring nine goals and one assist for 10 points. In 54 regular-season games, he had 28 goals and 53 points.
Nichushkin entered the player assistance program for the first time in January. He was away from the team for two months and returned March 8.
The player assistance program has four stages: Stage 1 is the first in-patient treatment, which is entirely voluntary. Stage 2 is entered following a violation of Stage 1, wherein the entrant is suspended without pay during the active phase of treatment. An entrant is placed in Stage 3 following a violation of Stage 2, and is suspended without pay for a minimum of six months. After three violations, an entrant is placed in Stage 4, which carries a one-year suspension without pay and no guarantee of re-instatement.