Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin, who remains suspended by the NHL, has been given the green light to return to practice, the team announced Monday.
However, Nichushkin remains in Phase 3 of the Player Assistance Program and is still unable to participate in games. His suspension is in effect until at least mid-November.
His return to play could help the Avalanche, whose offense is decimated by injuries. The Colorado team could soon be able to count on the return to play of Artturi Lehkonen, whose name was removed from the injured list on Monday. He is recovering from shoulder surgery over the summer.
Nichushkin sat out the Avalanche’s second straight playoff run last May due to incidents off the ice. The Players’ Association and the league jointly announced his suspension about an hour before the start of the game between the Avalanche and the Dallas Stars on May 13, a second-round series that would be won by the Texas club.
The 29-year-old Russian also suddenly left the team in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, citing personal reasons. He missed his team’s last five playoff games, and the Seattle Kraken eventually won the series 4-3.
Nichushkin has a contract valid until the conclusion of the 2029-30 season, after agreeing to an eight-year, US$49 million pact from the Avalanche in 2022. He has scored a career-high 28 goals in 54 regular season games last year.
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