As we approached the 2024-25 season, a question on everyone's mind was Valeri Nichushkin's return after a six-month suspension. Despite the hurdles, the 'Chu-Chu Train' has shown remarkable resilience, scoring 21 goals and 13 assists for 34 points in 43 games. His journey is a testament to the power of determination. What more can we expect from him this season?

The 2023-24 season was a fascinating season for Nichushkin despite dealing with some injuries throughout the season. Scoring a career high 28 goals and 25 assists for 53 points in 54 games, while scoring nine goals and one assist for ten points in eight playoff games. He has scored 37 goals in 62 total games, which extrapolates to 49 goals over 82 games, something the Avalanche would salivate over, especially with how he scores his goals in many different ways and situations all over the offensive zone.

The start of the 2024-25 season started well for Nichushkin. In his first 21 games, he scored 11 goals and six assists for 17 points, on pace for a 43-goal season, but he ran into some injury trouble heading into the new year. Specifically, he was dealing with a lower-body injury that kept him out week-to-week in January, and that had a setback in February that kept him out until March.

Coming back from his injury in early March, Nichushkin would finish the season playing 20 games, scoring nine goals and seven assists for 16 points, still equaling just under a 37-goal season if he played that pace all season. Finishing the regular season with 21 goals and 13 assists for 34 points in 43 games.

In the playoffs against the Dallas Stars, his production early in the series was severely limited, with only one goal in the first five games, coming in Game 3, but still losing 2-1 in overtime. He would help force a Game 7 by scoring two goals in Game 6 and helped push for a 2-0 lead in Game 7, but that would be all for his production in the series, as they would lose Game 7, 4-2, and the series.

Health and availability have been a significant topic over Nichushkin’s head during this tenure with the Avalanche. Only playing over 60 games twice with the Avalanche, once in the 2019-20 season and the 2021-22 season. Everything else has been under 55 games or less, either dealing with injuries or off-ice related issues. Those reasons have also impacted his performance on the ice when he is healthy and his production for the team.

Heading into the 2024-25 season, Nichushkin finally can have a season where, knock on wood, he can stay healthy, play with a true 2C in Brock Nelson and Gabriel Landeskog who has had the whole summer, upcoming training camp and preseason to help get his legs and conditioning in even better shape for his first full season since 2021-22 before the injury.

Avalanche Storylines to Watch: 2C Locked In Heading into the 2025-26 NHL season, the Colorado Avalanche finally have something that they haven’t had since the 2021-22 season: a true second-line center that's under contract for the next couple of seasons.

The potential of the Landeskog-Nelson-Nichushkin lineup is a reason for optimism. Despite not scoring a lot, Landeskog's impressive return from injury and the wingers' synergy with Nelson's playstyle were promising signs. This lineup has the potential to be a game-changer.

The upcoming season holds significant importance for Nichushkin's health. His ability to stay fit and contribute to the team's success, potentially even moving back into the top line, could be a game-changer. The team's success could hinge on his performance. 

Colorado Avalanche Unveil 30th Anniversary Logo On Historic Franchise Day The <a href="https://www.nhl.com/avalanche/news/colorado-avalanche-to-celebrate-30th-anniversary-this-season" target="_blank">Colorado Avalanche</a> have revealed their 30th Anniversary Logo, which will be at all home games this upcoming season.