Joe Sakic is not sitting around and thinking about running it back for next season. The Colorado Avalanche president and general manager made a big move on Thursday, sending Valeri Nichushkin to the Columbus Blue Jackets in return for three draft picks. The Avs get a second-round selection in 2026, a third-round choice in 2027 and a fifth-rounder in 2028.
Nichushkin helped the Avs win the Stanley Cup in 2022, but his production last season didn’t match his annual salary of $6.124 million. He had 17 goals and 49 points in 72 games for the Avs this past season, but only two goals in the postseason as the Avs lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals.
It’s the third cost-cutting move of the offseason for the Avs, who also traded Ross Colton and Jack Drury earlier this week. The Avs now have 10 selections in this weekend’s NHL draft, which starts Friday.
Nichushkin competed in 404 regular-season games for the Avs from 2019-26 and registered 283 points (131g/152a). He was also a member of the 2022 Stanley Cup championship team and registered 40 points (27g/13a) in 74 postseason contests with Colorado over that same span.
He originally signed with the Avalanche as a free agent on Aug. 19, 2019.
