Valeri Nichushkin still not spotted at Avalanche morning skate in Seattle

The Avalanche will have to try to win Game 4 against the Kraken without key forward Valeri Nichushkin, just like they did in Game 3.

Nichushkin, who is away from the team for personal reasons, isn’t even in Seattle. It’s very unclear what’s going on, as all kinds of rumors swirl on social media.

But rather than speculate, we’ll simply provide the facts. And the fact is Nichushkin was one of three Avalanche players not spotted at morning skate on Monday.

Everyone is on the ice except Darren Helm, Valeri Nichushkin and Jack Johnson. pic.twitter.com/i3zNskJT7S

— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) April 24, 2023

The Avalanche’s stars showed up in a big way in Game 3, as Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen both scored twice, while Cale Makar also found the back of the net in a 6-4 Colorado victory. The win gave the Avs a 2-1 series lead, as they’ll look to make it a commanding 3-1 advantage later tonight.

But they’ll have to do it without Nichushkin, who scored a clutch goal in Game 2 to even the score up at 2-2. Colorado went on to win that one 3-2, thanks to a late snipe from defenseman Devon Toews.

The primary concern is the well-being of Nichushkin and his family, with hockey a distant second. But there is a hockey element to this, as Nichushkin is a top-6 forward for the Avs and one of their better offensive weapons. They’ll likely need him back at some point if they want to win another Stanley Cup.

For now, head coach Jared Bednar and the team aren’t saying much at all. It doesn’t appear Bednar was even asked about Nichushkin after morning skate, after making it clear on Sunday he had no update.

That’ll likely be the norm moving forward. Until someone spots Nichushkin on the ice, the Avalanche don’t seem inclined to share much. Let’s hope everything is okay and he can return soon.

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