NHL Insider: Valeri Nichushkin expected to return for Colorado Avalanche training camp
Jun. 18—Every week during the offseason, Denver Gazette beat writer Kyle Fredrickson will take you around the NHL and inside the Avalanche:
WHAT THEY SAID
"Week 5, slow and steady."
—Avs captain Gabe Landeskog's Instagram caption Thursday for videos of his knee surgery rehab
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WHAT I'M THINKING
—The captain has emerged. Landeskog, after successful knee cartilage transplant surgery in May, posted several videos to Instagram of his recovery. Much of it takes place in the pool with Landeskog floating, swimming and squatting in the water. He also does shoeless calf raises while walking on dry land. All good signs Landy is on the right track with his rehab plan.
—We still have no idea when or if the Avs will get Landeskog back. He's already ruled out for the 2023-24 NHL season. General manager Chris MacFarland previously stated the team is not considering a new captain in his absence. Landeskog is confident he will play again at an elite level. But it's unfair for me to guess when that might happen. Let the man work.
—A cool nugget from Landy's post: Music playing in the background of one video is the song "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals — the song that regularly blasted from the Avs dressing room in 2022 on their quest to win the Stanley Cup. I'm guessing Landeskog is using that tune as inspiration on his long road back. Landeskog is clearly on a mission to prove the skeptics wrong and return to play in 2024-25.
—One more thought: Tip your glass to all the hardworking sports journalists laid off recently, including longtime Colorado Rockies writer Nick Groke. The Athletic (owned by The New York Times) is shifting away from localized sports expertise in favor of regional coverage, letting go of roughly 20 beat writers. Nick deserved better.
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WHAT I'M READING
—It appears that likely Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson will be traded by the San Jose Sharks in a mutual split (per TSN). Makes sense when you consider San Jose's rebuild and Karlsson's market value after a 100-point season.
—Montreal Canadiens hockey legend Henri Richard had stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at the time of his death in 2020, the Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada announced Wednesday. The family released the information to bring more awareness to head injuries in hockey (per ESPN).
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WHAT'S HAPPENING
—The Avalanche acquired forward Fredrik Olofsson from the Dallas Stars on Thursday in exchange for future considerations. Olofsson, 27, made his NHL debut in Dallas last season and appeared in 28 games, plus two Stanley Cup playoff games, compiling one goal and three assists. The left winger was born in Sweden but grew up in the Denver area, even playing minor hockey for the Colorado Thunderbirds.
—The Vegas Golden Knights are Stanley Cup champions, beating the Florida Panthers in five games and winning their first title six years after franchise expansion in 2018. Forward Jonathan Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Trophy. Vegas used five goaltenders all season and Adin Hill ended up the unlikely hero in net.
—But Colorado opened the NHL offseason as betting favorites (+800) in 2024 to win the Stanley Cup, per BetMGM, ahead of the Oilers (+900) and Bruins (+1000). That respect is a reflection of Colorado's star core players and the team's real potential, when healthy, to win another title. Will it happen for the Avalanche next season? Stay tuned.
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NHL INSIDER
Valeri Nichushkin's mysterious NHL absence will end with the embattled Russian winger quietly rejoining the Colorado Avalanche.
Nichushkin is expected to participate in training camp, a team spokesman confirmed to The Denver Gazette. It's the first real update the Avs provided on his status since Nichushkin abruptly left their first-round playoff series in Seattle for "personal reasons" without further explanation.
Public records tell a different story.
Nichushkin has not been charged with a crime and is not currently under investigation by authorities. But a team doctor called Seattle police on April 22 when a severely intoxicated woman was found in his hotel room. Is it simply coincidence that Nichushkin left the same day and missed the remainder of the Kraken series?
Of course not.
The Avalanche failed Public Relations 101 handling this saga. Willfully ignoring a public police record involving one of their players erodes trust. What else might the team hide in order to protect its image? The industry standard for professional sports teams is a simple statement: We are aware of the police report involving Valeri Nichushkin and are handling the situation internally.
Instead, the Avalanche obscured reality and pushed a false narrative. It's disingenuous to say Nichushkin's absence was not disciplinary. It suggests that any player could be involved in a police report and face zero repercussions.
Some readers might interpret this commentary as whining from self-important media. And that the "personal reasons" for Nichushkin's absence are none of my business. Maybe they're right. But the Avs created a mess with a stunning lack of transparency. Reporters are simply doing their jobs to accurately report on the team.
Truth is essential.
It's unfortunate that Nichushkin will likely never explain what happened. In March, he spoke exclusively with The Denver Gazette to discuss his health, leadership style and more. But Nichushkin regularly denies interview requests with still-improving English. My expectation is that he will avoid reporters with little or no pushback from the team.
General manager Chris MacFarland said last month that the "hope" is Nichushkin will be "a very important part of our team in the future." That makes sense when you consider he is signed to play for Colorado through the 2029-30 season. But Nichushkin clearly has much to prove — on and off the ice — to show that he's a leader for the Avalanche.
Nichushkin can't let this incident define his entire NHL career.
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THE LIST
The top three teams on ESPN's "way-too-early edition" of NHL power rankings for the 2023-24 season.
1. Vegas Golden Knights
3. Colorado Avalanche
