The Colorado Avalanche picked up a big win in Game 3 of their opening round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Seattle Kraken, but perhaps the biggest news of the night would come following the conclusion of the game itself.
During his post-game comments, Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar would drop a bombshell as it pertains to veteran forward Valeri Nichushkin. Nichushkin, who was notably absent from Game 3 on Saturday night, sounds like he will be absent from the team for some time with Bednar revealing that he has left due to “personal reasons.”
Those comments on their own would come as a shock during a time like the Stanley Cup playoffs, but they were amplified several times over when Bednar revealed that he had no idea when the 28 year old winger might return. Bednar confirmed that Nichushkin is no longer in Seattle, but when asked about whether or not this could be a long term situation the Avalanche coach appeared to be at a loss.
“I have no idea,” admitted Bednar in his post-game comments.
Nichushkin has been a staple of the Avalanche’s forward group for several seasons now and appeared in 53 regular season games this season, recording 17 goals and adding 30 assists for a total of 47 points. This will be a huge loss for the Avalanche moving forward, especially if this does prove to be a long term absence from the Russian forward.