The Columbus Blue Jackets bolstered their roster Thursday by landing forward Valeri Nichushkin from the Colorado Avalanche in a trade involving three future draft selections.
In return for Nichushkin, Colorado will receive a 2026 second-round pick — slotted at No. 43 overall and originally belonging to the St. Louis Blues before being moved in a previous deal — along with a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick from Columbus.
The 31-year-old Nichushkin spent the last seven seasons with Colorado and played a significant role in the Avalanche’s 2022 Stanley Cup championship run, recording nine goals and six assists for 15 points across 20 playoff games that postseason.
However, Nichushkin’s time in Colorado was not without controversy off the ice. In 2023, the year following the championship, the Russian forward stepped away from the team during the playoffs for personal reasons. Reports at the time indicated he was found in a hotel room with a woman who was suffering from alcohol intoxication. He was not criminally charged in connection with the incident.
Nichushkin entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in January 2024. He was able to return to the ice before the postseason, but during the second round of the playoffs, the league handed him a six-month suspension for violating the terms of the program. The specific details behind the suspension were not made public.
On the ice this past season, Nichushkin put together a solid campaign, recording 17 goals and 32 assists across 72 games. Over his NHL career — which has included stints with the Dallas Stars from 2013 to 2016 and again in 2018 to 2019, as well as his time with Colorado from 2019 to 2026 — he has accumulated 154 goals and 203 assists in 627 regular-season games. He has also contributed 28 goals and 15 assists in 91 career playoff appearances.
