Nichushkin made headlines for all the wrong reasons during the playoffs. He was one of the best players for the Avs, scoring 10 goals in eight games against the Winnipeg Jets and the Dallas Stars, but went from hero to zero after failing a drug test during an intermission.
As he serves his massive suspension in the NHL, he decided to pursue his career in Russia's Media Hockey League:
While it'll be hard to repair what was broken with his team, the general manager Chris MacFarland revealed in his end-of-season press conference that Nichushkin should get his job back with the Avalanche when his suspension ends in November:
Do you think the Colorado Avalanche would make a mistake by taking back Valeri Nichushkin after his suspension?
Source: Hockey Latest - Nichushkin signs new contract to play hockey
| POLL | ||
JUIN 5 | 180 ANSWERS Valeri Nichushkin joins overseas league to pursue his hockey career Do you think the Colorado Avalanche would make a mistake by taking back Valeri Nichushkin after his suspension? | ||
| Yes | 108 | 60 % |
| No | 72 | 40 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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JANUARY 17, 2026
| ||||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mika Zibanejad | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Quinn Hughes | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ryan McLeod | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Artemi Panarin | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Quinn | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Vladimir Tarasenko | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Kirill Kaprizov | - | 2 | 2 | |
| J.T. Miller | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Vincent Trocheck | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jason Zucker | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ryan Hartman | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Travis Konecny | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Peyton Krebs | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brennan Othmann | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Will Cuylle | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ben Jones | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexis Lafrenière | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Lightning | 46 | 29 | 13 | 4 | 62 | |
| Red Wings | 49 | 29 | 16 | 4 | 62 | |
| Canadiens | 48 | 26 | 15 | 7 | 59 | |
| Sabres | 46 | 26 | 16 | 4 | 56 | |
| Bruins | 48 | 27 | 19 | 2 | 56 | |
| Maple Leafs | 47 | 23 | 16 | 8 | 54 | |
| Panthers | 46 | 24 | 19 | 3 | 51 | |
| Senators | 46 | 22 | 19 | 5 | 49 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 48 | 29 | 15 | 4 | 62 | |
| Islanders | 47 | 26 | 16 | 5 | 57 | |
| Penguins | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 54 | |
| Capitals | 48 | 24 | 18 | 6 | 54 | |
| Flyers | 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 52 | |
| Devils | 47 | 24 | 21 | 2 | 50 | |
| Blue Jackets | 47 | 21 | 19 | 7 | 49 | |
| Rangers | 48 | 20 | 22 | 6 | 46 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 46 | 33 | 5 | 8 | 74 | |
| Stars | 48 | 27 | 12 | 9 | 63 | |
| Wild | 48 | 26 | 13 | 9 | 61 | |
| Mammoth | 48 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 52 | |
| Predators | 47 | 23 | 20 | 4 | 50 | |
| Blues | 48 | 19 | 21 | 8 | 46 | |
| Blackhawks | 47 | 19 | 21 | 7 | 45 | |
| Jets | 46 | 19 | 22 | 5 | 43 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 58 | |
| Oilers | 48 | 23 | 17 | 8 | 54 | |
| Kraken | 46 | 21 | 16 | 9 | 51 | |
| Sharks | 47 | 24 | 20 | 3 | 51 | |
| Kings | 47 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 50 | |
| Ducks | 47 | 23 | 21 | 3 | 49 | |
| Flames | 47 | 20 | 23 | 4 | 44 | |
| Canucks | 47 | 16 | 26 | 5 | 37 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||