Avs’ Valeri Nichushkin suspended six months, re-enters NHL Player Assistance Program
Denver Post
Valeri Nichushkin is done for the rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Colorado Avalanche forward has been placed in Stage 3 of the Player Assistance Program, the NHLPA and NHL announced Monday. Under the terms of the joint program, Nichushkin will be suspended without pay for a minimum of six months and then will be eligible to apply for reinstatement.
The news came roughly an hour before the Avs were set to play the Dallas Stars on Monday night at Ball Arena in Game 4 of their second-round Stanley Cup Playoff series. Dallas leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.
Nichushkin spent time in the player assistance program earlier this season. He also missed the final five games of Colorado’s 2023 playoff series against the Seattle Kraken after leaving the team for what the club called personal reasons. A Seattle police report stated that an intoxicated woman was found in Nichushkin’s hotel room the morning before Game 3 in Seattle.
There will be more on this as it develops.
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