Avalanche Forward Drawing Interest From KHL

Facing an uncertain future with the Colorado Avalanche, could Valeri Nichushkin return home to Russia?

Apr 18, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin (13) celebrates his second goal of the first period against the Edmonton Oilers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

There's no doubt that Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin is undoubtedly a very talented player, but also a deeply troubled one.

During Colorado's second-round series against the Dallas Stars, Nichushkin's former team, the 29-year-old was placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, receiving at least a six-month suspension without pay in the process. This came just four months after he entered the program in January, and a year after a mysterious incident involving an intoxicated woman in his hotel during a playoff series against the Seattle Kraken.

Even though Nichushkin remains on Colorado's roster, his future with the team and the NHL as a whole is unclear at the moment. As a result, some have begun to wonder if he could return home and go to the KHL.

Adding fuel to the fire, SKA St. Petersburg head coach Roman Rotenburg was recently asked about the possibility recently, and didn't exactly rule out the possibility.

“I was talking to Nichushkin. He and I are on very good terms, we talked to him in the spring,” Rotenburg said, per Colorado Hockey Now. “Will he be in SKA? We’ll wait and see. Everything is possible. But today, as far as I understand from Nichushkin himself, he remains in the NHL. Colorado is counting on him, despite all his problems. And he wants to play there himself.”

Russian journalist Daria Tuboltseva also noted that SKA is "waiting for Valeri Nichushkin by December."

Evgeny Kuznetsov, another Russian forward, recently terminated his contract with the Carolina Hurricanes to sign a four-year deal with SKA, so on paper, it seems possible that Nichushkin could do something similar. However, there's a big difference in that Kuznetsov had just one year and $6 million in salary remaining on his deal. On the other hand, Nichushkin has six years and $30.5 million in salary remaining on his deal, which is obviously much harder to make back in the KHL.

As it stands now, though, the Avalanche are simply trying to determine the best path forward when it comes to navigating Nichushkin's situation.

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