- Elliotte Friedman says the Avalanche have Valeri Nichushkin in trade talks
- Colorado wants cap flexibility and has only four defensemen signed for next season
- Read below for his contract, his no-trade clause and why his name keeps coming up
The Avalanche are listening on Valeri Nichushkin.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said Colorado has put the winger into trade talks as the team hunts for cap flexibility this summer. Friedman was working through the Avs’ offseason when Nichushkin’s name came up, and he kept it brief: “Colorado is looking for some flexibility, I think. His name is out there. We’ll see.”
Nichushkin is 31 and sits halfway through a heavily front-loaded eight-year deal that carries a $6.125 million cap hit through 2029-30. He holds only a 12-team no-trade clause, so more than half the league is fair game as a landing spot.
His scoring never quite matched the money, but it held up this past season. Nichushkin posted 17 goals and 49 points in 72 games, his first 70-game year since 2015-16.
When he’s rolling, he can swing a game by himself. Take a look at the solo-effort goal that shows what he brings:
Buyers will point straight to the postseason. Nichushkin has 24 goals over his last 49 playoff games, and his heavy, physical style is the kind that holds up in the spring.
This isn’t the first time his name has bounced around, either. Avalanche reporter Adrian Dater floated him as a possible trade chip back at the deadline:
Roster math is driving a lot of this. Colorado has just four defensemen signed for next season, and shedding Nichushkin’s contract would open room to patch up the blue line. The Avs won the Presidents’ Trophy and pushed all the way to the Western Conference Final before the summer questions started.
Free agency opens July 1, and a $6.125 million winger with playoff teeth tends to move quickly once the calls start.
