'Massive piece of our on-ice puzzle': How the loss of Valeri Nichushkin impacts the Avalanche

For the second year in a row, Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin left in the midst of the Stanley Cup Playoffs due to personal issues. His absence not only affected the team on the ice, but it also had a major impact off the ice.

“That was a tough one. Val is a massive, massive piece of our on-ice puzzle. Our record with him and and without him is obviously very telling. He’s a super hockey player ... ," GM Chris MacFarland said. "That Monday was very disappointing. We’ve got 25 guys, 30 guys whatever it is over the course of the season, that’s a tough blow. I felt for the group.”

MacFarland confirmed that Nichushkin's initial involvement with the NHL Player Assistance Program was last year. His second stint was nearly two months from mid-January to late February this season. The 29-year-old Russian advanced through the stages due to violations of each stage. He is currently in Stage 3 which comes with a suspension without pay for at least six months.

Related: Valeri Nichushkin placed in NHL Player Assistance Program, suspended for at least 6 months

Nichushkin is entering the third year of his eight-year, $49 million contract signed in July 2022 and, as of now, the organization cannot get out of that deal with him.

"He's a really good hockey player. He's got a significant cap hit. We've looked at all options like we always do. The obvious question is termination, right? And at this time, that's not an option.

“What I can say to you is, we’ve got to look at all options, and at this time, priority one is for Val to get the help he needs. Assuming he does, and after the six months, we’ll have to read and react on that. But it is very plausible that he will be back with the Avalanche,” MacFarland said.

It was a major disappointment for the team to lose one of their top forwards in the middle of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs so it will most likely not be an easy transition.

"It's kind of up to Val now how he handles this, and then obviously once he comes back and hoping that everything goes well and he's ready to be a part of this team, we obviously will be ready to have him back and be ready to battle out there on the ice," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "But yeah, we hope Val gets right. We hope he gets what he needs and he's able to come back and help us."

MacFarland and Landeskog said how Nichushkin's return will look is completely up to him. All the Avs can do at this point is hope he gets healthy and is able to rejoin the team with minimal collateral damage.

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