Valeri Nichushkin will play the Colorado Avalanche for the first time Tuesday in Columbus, adding another layer to a matchup that already carries plenty of history. The forward is now with the Blue Jackets after Colorado traded him for draft picks and cap flexibility, and the game gives both sides a first look at how the breakup plays in real time.
The meeting matters because Nichushkin’s exit was not a routine roster move. The Avalanche supported him through off-ice issues and stuck with him after two seasons of quality hockey followed by two costly suspensions. That support eventually led to a trade, but the context around it has never been simple.
How Colorado got here
The tension around Nichushkin dates back to the 2024 playoffs. After the trade deadline that year, the Avalanche looked like the NHL’s best team. Then, during the second round, more than one Avalanche player was very angry with Nichushkin in the locker room.
Ahead of Game 4 in that series, Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months and sent back to the NHL/NHLPA Players Assistance Program for the third time. Colorado rallied for a Game 5 win, but the run ended after Game 6. The sequence left a clear mark on the team and helped set the stage for what came next.
Even with that history, the Avalanche had already invested in Nichushkin’s return. He responded with two seasons of incident-free, quality hockey after the organization supported his rehabilitation. That is part of what makes this story more complicated than a simple success or failure timeline.
What Tuesday means
During the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Nichushkin declined an interview request at his locker. He also asked whether a story would be good or bad, a question that fits the mixed nature of his time in Colorado.
For the Avalanche, Tuesday is less about revisiting old drama than seeing a former key player from the other side for the first time. For Nichushkin, it is a chance to move on from a difficult chapter while still being measured against the role he once played in Colorado.
And the story is not over after Tuesday. Mid-February will bring Nichushkin back to Ball Arena, giving the Avalanche and their fans another chance to process what his Colorado tenure meant, both on and off the ice.
