Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin listed as day-to-day with lower-body injury

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche will be without playmaking forward Valeri Nichushkin for an indefinite amount of time due to a lower-body injury.

Coach Jared Bednar said after morning practice Thursday that he would classify Nichushkin as “day-to-day.”

“I don’t think it’s really serious, but it could keep him out seven-to-10 days,” explained Bednar, whose team hosts the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. “We’ll just see what the next handful of days looks like and see what kind of progression he makes.”

When he’s on the ice, Nichushkin has been a valuable part of the Avalanche. The team is 209-74-27 with Nichushkin in the lineup. He’s tied for fourth on the Avalanche this season with 11 goals despite playing in just 21 games.

Nichushkin was suspended last May for at least six months and placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. It was an announcement that came in the middle of Colorado’s playoff run, marking the second straight postseason where the right winger was unavailable because of circumstances away from the ice.

The 29-year-old Nichushkin missed the opening 17 games. He made his season debut on Nov. 15 against Washington.

The banged-up Avalanche recently got back defenseman Josh Manson and forward Jonathan Drouin before losing Nichushkin, who left a New Year’s Eve win over Winnipeg.

“Hopefully it’s short for Val,” Manson said. “That’s a big loss. … He’s a big part of our group.”

The Avalanche saw captain Gabriel Landeskog return to the ice Thursday as he skated around with the squad. He hasn’t played since Game 6 on June 26, 2022, when the Avalanche beat Tampa Bay to hoist the Stanley Cup.

Landeskog underwent a cartilage transplant in his right knee on May 10, 2023, in an effort to return to the ice.

“All the guys are pretty in-tune with Landy’s recovery process, and the work he’s been putting in to try to get back to our team on a regular basis,” Bednar said. “He’s able to come out and join us and wheel around a little bit. I think it adds to the optimism of his return at some point.”

Bednar said Landeskog is “feeing good.”

“Still no real change in our approach and what’s going on,” Bednar added. “He’s just going to keep grinding forward until he gets to a point where he might be able to join the team on a regular basis.”

Notes: The Avalanche signed defenseman Keaton Middleton to a two-year contract extension on Thursday. … The fire alarm went off while the Avalanche were on the ice for morning skate. “That might be a first for me,” Drouin said. “I’ve seen it when I was younger at those smaller rinks and you really have to evacuate right away.” Could the culprit for the fire alarm going off have been Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram, who was traded from Colorado to Buffalo last March and is making his return to Ball Arena? “I could see Bo doing something like that,” Drouin cracked.

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