Confirmed with Link: Nichushkin back in assistance program; suspended a minimum of six months

[The Abusement Park]

Imagine trying to win a Cup without him. I just don't see it. Trading him for peanuts isn't solving anything, its just virtue signaling. People say the locker room won't take him back but do those other guys in the locker room want to win a Cup or just "do the right thing?"

How many times does your girlfriend need to cheat on you before you realize that maybe she’s actually just a shitty partner?

 

[Frenchy]

This guy is a member of the media. I don't know the context of his "investigation" (likely going through social media accounts) but that's a strange post.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1792327907341181076

Great news then , they want out and so do we

 

[wayninja]

Don’t know if they have much of a choice.

I guess I feel the same about getting rid of him, even at a cost.

It's like being determined to finish that burger that is clearly giving you food poisoning because it cost 12 bucks.

 

[niwotsblessing]

This guy is a member of the media. I don't know the context of his "investigation" (likely going through social media accounts) but that's a strange post.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1792327907341181076

A "posh Peru Vacation." At the source of the marching powder.

Damn.

 

[nightonthesun]

Imagine trying to win a Cup without him. I just don't see it. Trading him for peanuts isn't solving anything, its just virtue signaling. People say the locker room won't take him back but do those other guys in the locker room want to win a Cup or just "do the right thing?"

Virtue signaling….. oh dear. Exhibit 2377 in the museum of “how political messaging does my thinking for me.”

Reducing it in this way is terminally lazy. No one, team included, wants to make any choice besides the one that’s most likely to win another cup.

Impossible to win a cup without him? Ok. Cancel next season when he goes home with his family.

 

[GirardIsStupid]

His suspension has the silver lining of creating temporary cap space when Landeskog attempts to come back. The question will be what to do IF both Landeskog and Nichuskin are ready to play. But, I think the answers will become obvious by that time. Ultimately, the ball is in Nichuskin's court. Fail again and Colorado won't owe you a cent.

 

[Grigowski]

If there is some truth in this stroy and that his family wants home to russia, this has contract termination and KHL written all over it.

Personally? I dont think Nuke makes it through the 6 month and he will be in Stage 4 sooner than expected. This whole situation could turn really ugly and bad pretty quick. This man is currently completely overwhelmed with his life.

 

[wayninja]

His suspension has the silver lining of creating temporary cap space when Landeskog attempts to come back. The question will be what to do IF both Landeskog and Nichuskin are ready to play. But, I think the answers will become obvious by that time. Ultimately, the ball is in Nichuskin's court. Fail again and Colorado won't owe you a cent.

This is easy. It's not that expensive to hire some honey pot hottie with a bag of party favors and then accidentally "walk in" on the party. Stage 4 here we come.

 

[henchman21]

This is easy. It's not that expensive to hire some honey pot hottie with a bag of party favors and then accidentally "walk in" on the party. Stage 4 here we come.

 

[Pokecheque]

Imagine trying to win a Cup without him. I just don't see it. Trading him for peanuts isn't solving anything, its just virtue signaling. People say the locker room won't take him back but do those other guys in the locker room want to win a Cup or just "do the right thing?"

This has absolutely nothing to do with "virtue signaling." The fact is that he's derailed the team's playoff runs with his behavior two years in a row now. This isn't a moral stand, it's the fact they cannot rely on this guy.

 

[RockLobster]

Imagine trying to win a Cup without him. I just don't see it. Trading him for peanuts isn't solving anything, its just virtue signaling. People say the locker room won't take him back but do those other guys in the locker room want to win a Cup or just "do the right thing?"

Please tell us how it's virtue signaling? The guy has gotten 3 strikes--that we publicly know about--within the last 13 months. 2 of those coming in the midst of the playoffs where his exit has had a direct effect on the team's ability to proceed in said playoffs.

No one is denying what he brings to the ice, but he sort of has to be available to play in order for those talents to show out. The reality is that the last two seasons, when the Avs have needed him the most & when it was playoff time, he decided drugs were more important.

 

[wayninja]

Please tell us how it's virtue signaling? The guy has gotten 3 strikes--that we publicly know about--within the last 13 months. 2 of those coming in the midst of the playoffs where his exit has had a direct effect on the team's ability to proceed in said playoffs.

No one is denying what he brings to the ice, but he sort of has to be available to play in order for those talents to show out. The reality is that the last two seasons, when the Avs have needed him the most & when it was playoff time, he decided drugs were more important.

And even if you have the worldview that drug addiction is such a freewill destroying issue that he had absolutely no choice in the matter, it doesn't change the business calculus one bit.

 

[the_fan]

The most important thing is whether or not Val himself thinks he has an addiction and really wants help. If not then all this programs and stuff are a waste of time. He’s gonna continue doing what he’s doing if he doesn’t think he has an addiction and he’s actually having fun doing drugs

 

[EdAVSfan]

I’m curious if anyone knows….

Do we know the last time he went through “treatment”, how long did he legitimately go clean for? Or is it a case where it’s possible he never went clean at all?

Because under the current scenario, isn’t he basically required to go to an in-patient facility for x amount of weeks and be forced sober during that time?

 

[henchman21]

I’m curious if anyone knows….

Do we know the last time he went through “treatment”, how long did he legitimately go clean for? Or is it a case where it’s possible he never went clean at all?

Because under the current scenario, isn’t he basically required to go to an in-patient facility for x amount of weeks and be forced sober during that time?

His last treatment was the midseason leave in January. Odds are probably high that he started using again very shortly after his treatment was completed.

I hope Nuke gets clean from the human element side... this sort of stuff can destroy relationships and have long lasting impacts. Odds are he is currently destroying his family and will have to make up for this for years. On the business side, you separate entirely. For such a PR sensitive organization, they can't continue to take the hit. From an on the ice side, Nuke is a great player, but 2 playoffs in a row he left this team high and dry. You just cannot count on him. The second an issue comes up again, and he costs the team more.. the more volatile the locker room becomes. He's a time bomb.

 

[EdAVSfan]

His last treatment was the midseason leave in January. Odds are probably high that he started using again very shortly after his treatment was completed.

I hope Nuke gets clean from the human element side... this sort of stuff can destroy relationships and have long lasting impacts. Odds are he is currently destroying his family and will have to make up for this for years. On the business side, you separate entirely. For such a PR sensitive organization, they can't continue to take the hit. From an on the ice side, Nuke is a great player, but 2 playoffs in a row he left this team high and dry. You just cannot count on him. The second an issue comes up again, and he costs the team more.. the more volatile the locker room becomes. He's a time bomb.

Thanks for the response.
Re-reading my post, it definitely wasn’t clear.

I was asking more along the lines of, do we know how long he was clean for during and after the last treatment? A couple of weeks? A couple of days? Is it possible that he went through treatment but was never clean for more than a handful of days? Could he have gone through treatment and not been clean at all?

 

[henchman21]

Thanks for the response.
Re-reading my post, it definitely wasn’t clear.

I was asking more along the lines of, do we know how long he was clean for during and after the last treatment? A couple of weeks? A couple of days? Is it possible that he went through treatment but was never clean for more than a handful of days? Could he have gone through treatment and not been clean at all?

We don’t know exactly. Most of the places are 2-3 week in patient. So would be clean during that, but not much is known beyond that.

 

[Metallo]

At the end of the day if the options are something like:

1- Give him another chance, if he f***s up again we enter phase 4 and we get rid of his contract for free.
or
2- No Nuke but 3M cap penalty for 6 years and ownership must pay him 75% of what's left on his contract.
or
3- Buyout
or
4- Pay a team premium assets to take him and likely get a bad contract in return

then I'm very confident that they'll pick the first option and Nuke will be back.

With 3 strikes there is no grounds for contract termination???

 

[Balthazar]

With 3 strikes there is no grounds for contract termination???

No.

 

[AvsMakar08]

With 3 strikes there is no grounds for contract termination???

Nahh. Nuke is coming back. We need him. If he can promise us that he will try to score twice as much goals and assists then let him come back one more time. He is benefiting Avs.

 

[Metallo]

No.

Is that black-and-white in the CBA? Feels like a sweeeet deal for the players.

 

[Mighty Makar]

Nahh. Nuke is coming back. We need him. If he can promise us that he will try to score twice as much goals and assists then let him come back one more time. He is benefiting Avs.

Nuke can f*** right off back to Russia. He can’t be trusted. I’m sure guys on the team do not want him back.

 

[the_fan]

Everybody on the team wants Nuke back except JJ confirmed

 

[Pacman33]

I understand being pissed and wanting him gone, but i just cant get on board with wanting him gone at any cost. If the standard buyout is the only option, i cant see taking a 2 million cap hit for 12 years to do it

 

[lionsDen]

His suspension has the silver lining of creating temporary cap space when Landeskog attempts to come back. The question will be what to do IF both Landeskog and Nichuskin are ready to play. But, I think the answers will become obvious by that time. Ultimately, the ball is in Nichuskin's court. Fail again and Colorado won't owe you a cent.

lasting a minimum of one year, with reinstatement not guaranteed.

The league could choose to reinstate. So it’s not 100%, fairly uncharted territory