Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin “going to miss some time” with lower-body injury

The Colorado Avalanche are going to be without one of their more productive forwards, as Valeri Nichushkin will miss game action with a lower-body injury.

Head coach Jared Bednar shared an update that Nichushkin is “going to miss some time” on Wednesday with a group of reporters that included Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports. Bednar added that he did not know how much time the Russian winger would miss.

Nichushkin, a 30-year-old veteran who was drafted No. 10 overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2013 NHL Draft, is in his seventh season as a member of the Avalanche, and he has 12 points on 5 goals and 7 assists through his first 17 games of the campaign.

Nichushkin has yet to put together a full 82-game season at the NHL level due to a lengthy injury history. In January of 2024, he entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, and that May he was placed in Stage 3 of the program, meaning he was suspended without pay for a minimum of six months. He returned to the team and NHL action in November of 2024, putting up 34 points in 43 games last season.

In his absence, Victor Olofsson is a candidate to move into the top six to join Ross Colton and Brock Nelson on the second line. Olofsson has produced well this year, racking up 14 points in his 17 appearances.

Colorado has quickly established itself as the class of the NHL in the season’s early going. The Avs have lost just one game in regulation, and their 11-1-5 record gives them 27 points, four more than the next closest team in the NHL.

The Avalanche will play each of their next three games on home ice at Ball Arena against the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders and New York Rangers. They’ll then have a quick road trip for a back-to-back that includes showdowns against Central Division opponents in Nashville and Chicago.