Avalanche lock up Nichushkin long-term

According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, the Colorado Avalanche have re-signed Valeri Nichushkin to an eight-year contract, meaning he will avoid testing the free agency market.

There are very few, if any players in the NHL, who have seen their value rise in the last few years like Nichushkin. It was always known he had a high talent level after being selected 10th overall in the 2013 draft. However, after returning home to Russia for both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, he returned to the NHL and failed to score a single goal in 57 games with the Dallas Stars. As a result he was bought out, but picked up by the Avalanche in what has been a great move by the organization.

This past season, Nichushkin, 27, registered 27 goals and 52 points in just 62 regular season games, and was just as good in the playoffs with nine goals and 15 points in 20 outings. On top of all that, he is also very sound defensively. While the average annual value of this deal hasn't been released yet, it will likely be a great contract for the Avalanche.

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