Valeri Nichushkin suspended 6 months, re-enters NHL Player Assistance Program

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 termed “personal reasons.” A Seattle police report stated that an intoxicated woman was found in Nichushkin’s hotel room the morning before Game 3 of that series in Seattle.

Entering Stage 3 of the program means Nichushkin violated his Stage 2 treatment plan, which stems from his absence earlier this season. He was suspended without pay during the active portion of his treatment.

Stage 1 involved a prior in-patient treatment, which carried no penalty. If Nichushkin is reinstated sometime on November 13 or later and violates his Stage 3 treatment plan, Stage 4 carries a one-year suspension and reinstatement to the league is not guaranteed.

Nichushkin has six more years left on his contract. It runs through the 2029-30 season and carries a cap hit of $6.125 million per season.

Despite missing nearly two months, this was Nichushkin’s best offensive season of his career. He finished with career highs in goals (28) and points (53) despite playing in only 54 games.

Nichushkin has also been the hottest goal scorers in the league to start the playoffs. He is tied for the league lead with nine goals in eight games, having scored at least once in each of Colorado’s five games against Winnipeg and the first two of the Avs’ series against Dallas.

Nichushkin participated in an optional practice Sunday and a fully-attended morning skate Monday at Ball Arena. He has granted only one brief interview in English since returning from the player assistance program in March, and did not answer any questions about that experience.