Valeri Nichushkin suspended six months without pay after violation
Earlier this evening, news broke from Chris Johnston of TSN that avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was placed in a stage three level of the NHLPA player assistance program after he violated his treatment program. This violation warrants a six-month suspension without pay.
According to Frank Seravalli of the dailyfaceoff.com, Nichushkin failed a drug test which prompted the NHL to move in with this suspension. It was reported also last season that he also missed several playoff games after a 911 call was placed in Seattle where an intoxicated woman was found in his room.
The 29-year-old right winger has had his troubles over the past number of years and these incidents do not help his cause as he has been a vital component to the avalanche playoff run. Throughout these playoffs, he has played eight games and he had scored nine goals with one assist for 10 points and is a + 1.
Throughout the season, he played 54 games and scored 28 goals with 25 assists for 53 points and was a + 5 with 22 penalty minutes.
As reported, Nichushkin will need to serve his six months and then apply for reinstatement into the NHL. The silver lining for the Avalanche is that his cap it of $6.125 million per season will not count towards the avalanche cap space. He will be entering his third year in his eight-year deal worth $49 million which stretches till 2029-2030.
The Avalanche are in tough as they are down 4-1 in game 4 of the series.
| POLL | ||
Will the Avalanche keep or trade or terminate Valeri Nichushkin after his suspension is done? | ||
| Keep | 38 | 18.9 % |
| Trade | 76 | 37.8 % |
| Terminate | 87 | 43.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
