Avalanche gain huge reinforcements back from NHL rehab program

With the rocky season the Colorado Avalanche are having, you have to look at how players they've lost due to major injuries over the past two seasons. They seem to really be paying the price for their cup win, and have been trying to prove that they're still the force that they were not long ago.

There have been a couple players in particular that keep popping up on the IR, and one of these names has been Valeri Nichushkin. His most active season in his career with the Avs has been a 65 game season back in 2019-20.

His most recent IR trip has been purely transactional, as instead of an injury he was admitted into the NHLPA's Player Assistance program. He was admitted into the program only on January 15th and news just broke that he is already on his way back.




Seravalli is right, this is massive news for the Avalanche. Nichushkin had 42 points in 40 games before entering the program and had been a massive part of the Avs' offence as of recent.

The Avs currently sit at 7th overall but have dropped to 3rd in the Central after going 3-5-2 in their last 10 without Nichushkin. It's no stretch to say that they are a much different beast with him in the lineup, and this surprise quick return could be exactly what they needed to push them over the edge.