The news first came out from Denver Post reporter Adrian Dater. He could not confirm anything, but did note that Nichushkin appeared to not be playing in game four.
Shortly after Dater's post, the NHL officially announced that Nichuskin had been placed in stage three of the Player's assistance program.
This is not an ordinary move. This is for repeat offenders, and comes with a minimum six-month suspension from the league, according to insider Chris Johnston, who posted the news immediately upon the official release.
Nichuskin will be a huge loss to the Avalanche, as he currently leads the team in goals with 9 through 8 playoff games. Be sure to tune in tonight to see how this affects the rest of Colorado's playoff run.
POLL | ||
MAI 13 | 155 ANSWERS Valeri Nichushkin given ban from the NHL for substance test failure Do you think the Colorado Avalanche can still beat the Dallas Stars in their playoff series even without Valeri Nichuskin? | ||
Yes | 49 | 31.6 % |
No | 106 | 68.4 % |
LIST OF POLLS |
G | A | PTS | ||
Simon Benoit | - | - | - | |
Nick Bjugstad | - | - | - | |
Michael Carcone | - | - | - | |
Ian Cole | - | - | - | |
Logan Cooley | - | - | - | |
Lawson Crouse | - | - | - | |
Connor Dewar | - | - | - | |
Oliver Ekman-Larsson | - | - | - | |
Dylan Guenther | - | - | - | |
Barrett Hayton | - | - | - | |
Pontus Holmberg | - | - | - | |
Clayton Keller | - | - | - | |
Alexander Kerfoot | - | - | - | |
Michael Kesselring | - | - | - | |
Vladislav Kolyachonok | - | - | - | |
Maveric Lamoureux | - | - | - | |
Steven Lorentz | - | - | - | |
Olli Maatta | - | - | - | |
Matias Maccelli | - | - | - | |
Mitch Marner | - | - | - | |
Complete stats |
STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 21 | 17 | 4 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 30 | |
Devils | 23 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 30 | |
Hurricanes | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 29 | |
Golden Knights | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 27 | |
Flames | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 27 | |
Stars | 19 | 13 | 6 | - | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
Conference | Cumulative |