ValeriNichushkin

News: 7 days agoNichushkin addressed the media after Colorado's first day of training camp Thursday, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Spin: This was the first time Nichushkin was available for the media, but the Russian forward did not say much about the incident in Seattle that prompted him to leave the team during last season's NHL playoffs. "It was family reasons," he said. "I know you guys want to find something there but there's nothing really interesting. I think we should close it. It's a new season right now. We have to focus on that." The session lasted about two minutes. Many of his teammates expressed support for Nichushkin, who is expected to be a top-six forward for Colorado this season.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Fresh off signing a massive eight-year, $49 million deal with the Avalanche in July of 2022, Nichushkin was excellent when in the lineup in 2022-23, which didn't happen very often. He missed 29 of Colorado's 82 regular-season games, posting 17 goals, 47 points (16 on the power play), 158 shots on goal and a plus-15 rating. A baffling scene occurred while in Seattle during Colorado's first-round playoff series. Nichushkin was sent home suddenly and didn't appear in any of the team's final five playoff games, and the Avalanche didn't shed much light on the situation. It was later revealed there was an incident at the team hotel which caused the police to get involved, but the NHL investigated and cleared Nichushkin of any wrongdoing, confirming he's eligible to play in 2023-24. Back to full health, that makes the big man a potential buy-low pick in fantasy leagues this year.