Confirmed Signing with Link: [COL] Avalanche re-sign F Valeri Nichushkin (8 years, $6.125M AAV)

[AcerComputer]

LMAO

Talk to us after Tavares wins a cup!

Hockey is not basketball. Takes a whole team to win, not 1 player. Tavares earned that contract with 10 years of great hockey. Maybe Nichushkin is just a late bloomer and his hockey career is really just starting.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Hockey is not basketball. Takes a whole team to win, not 1 player. Tavares earned that contract with 10 years of great hockey. Maybe Nichushkin is just a late bloomer and his hockey career is really just starting.

Nichu is like the definition of a late bloomer. big super talented skater with raw skills. Got rushed into the league too early, had some injuries and issues with previous coaching, lost confidence. When he was with Dallas, he had literally one offensive move.

Shows up in Colorado with a smaller role, excelled and kept growing and adding to his offensive tool kit. He is sniping now, getting body positions in front of the net, making ridiculously good passes (see burakovsky OT goal).

 

[Russian Factor]

I thought he was gonna get like 7M on the open market. This contract is a no brainer. I can't wait to see what he does next year with continued and maybe even increased favorable usage.

 

[Spilot23]

As a Leafs fan who wishes they somehow were bad enough to draft Makar in 2017, I have made it a point to watch Avs games as much as possible. And this contract is perfectly fine. Nuke has been insane for a while now and people still thinking he's the same as he was in Dallas are kidding themselves. Completely different player. Wouldn't even be surprised if his production skyrockets even more with increased usage. He was alongside Makar, the overall best players during this recent cup run (rounded out by Byram).

You know someone has been watching the Avs when he mentions Byram in the overall best players in the playoffs. He flew under the radar most of the playoffs run glad people finally saw what he was capable and what we saw earlier this year. Also totally agree that Nuke was alongside Makar the best players in the cup run.

 

[Avsboy]

Nichu is like the definition of a late bloomer. big super talented skater with raw skills. Got rushed into the league too early, had some injuries and issues with previous coaching, lost confidence. When he was with Dallas, he had literally one offensive move.

Shows up in Colorado with a smaller role, excelled and kept growing and adding to his offensive tool kit. He is sniping now, getting body positions in front of the net, making ridiculously good passes (see burakovsky OT goal).

He needed man strength. He is probably one of the strongest and biggest players in the league now, which helps him forecheck. He lifts a lot of weight constantly.

 

[sethro109]

He needed man strength. He is probably one of the strongest and biggest players in the league now, which helps him forecheck. He lifts a lot of weight constantly.

He got jacked carrying Jost and Compher for 2+ years.

 

[yeaher]

PP points aren't even remotely related to why Nuke got this deal.

He's a 5v5 possession monster. He plays a similar role to that of Landeskog. While I want as many of those guys on my roster as possible, their lethality on the PP isn't the reason why.

Not that powerplay points are a bad thing. And not that I would at all mind Nuke doing well on the powerplay. It's just, there's only so much powerplay time to go around. Guys who kick ass 5v5 are super important, despite the opportunity for points being less.

We just want Nuke to continue being Nuke. I'm glad he didn't go to another team where he might have been asked to be something he's not.

I'm sure if he went to Edmonton McDavid would have complained that the play dies on his stick and they would buy him out in two years.

Dude, I wasn't even talking to you. my argument was his point total will go up in response to another poster due to more pp time. im an avs fan I know he is way more than G and A

 

[Hasbro]

One of those “all sides equally disappointed things“.

 

[ZDH]

This will age like a fart trapped in a Nalgene. Horrible contract.

 

[AvalancheRy]

Horrendous contract. Important player to the AVS i get it but he is essentially a 2way, 40ish point player that had a great playoffs.... 8 yrs is waaaaay too long for these type of players, and and 6 mil is too much.

How do the AVS even justify the fact that he is going to make what Mackinnon was making for the last 5 years?


I think they should have played hardball, they lost the negotiations both in term and in AAV which is hard to do.

Hard to lose on term and AAV you say? Might I direct you to these boards all day tomorrow where you'll find no shortage of said deals. It's kinda an annual NHL tradition this time of year. You'll get used to it after a couple years of watching hockey (or any sport for that matter).

RE this specific deal, there's already plenty of content in this thread demonstrably proving this isn't a bad deal. Subjectively you might not like it, that's fine. But when you look at the year he just had, the comparables (Rakell just got $5mil and didn't have nearly the impact), his overall numbers, the Avs specific needs and what this market is paying, this deal is worth it. There's even a mathematical model that predicted this deal.

The Avs are chillin.

 

[Apotheosis]

You know someone has been watching the Avs when he mentions Byram in the overall best players in the playoffs. He flew under the radar most of the playoffs run glad people finally saw what he was capable and what we saw earlier this year. Also totally agree that Nuke was alongside Makar the best players in the cup run.

Byram was insane. Playstyle wise he reminds me of Doughty. The Avs are absolutely stacked at this point. Two 100 point players, one of the best two way players in the league and basically a rehash of Doughty and Karlsson on the same team. Absolutely nuts.

 

[Freaky Styley]

It's a fair deal. Not a steal in the 5's, but the man deserved to be paid.

This deal + Nukes POs should also serve as a reminder to people trashing on the Georgiev move to just trust in the Avs pro scouts. They keep getting it right.

 

[MaKarter]

Pretty great start of a 8 year 6.1 mil contract. Some BRUTAL takes in this thread.

 

[bossram]

Where are the folks ripping on Big Nuke now?

 

[Carlzner]

Lot of people who didn't watch much of the playoffs last year, what's new on HFBoards though

 

[Mighty Makar]

This will age like a fart trapped in a Nalgene. Horrible contract.

You were saying!

 

[Avsboy]

Of Nuke, Burakovsky and Kadri, Nuke was the youngest, best defensively, and clearly on the upswing offensively. It made too much sense to sign him.

 

[Bone Breaker]

just passing by to leave these here. who wants to be the first?

 

[Linds]

Should have given Nuke more money. This would have made the big guy try harder

 

[Foppberg]

So many horrible horrible takes in this thread.

You love to see it.

 

[cyris]

I wasn’t one of those who were overly critical of this deal but maybe you guys should hold back a bit before taking your victory lap. It’s 6 games into a 656 game contract.

 

[Foppberg]

I wasn’t one of those who were overly critical of this deal but maybe you guys should hold back a bit before taking your victory lap. It’s 6 games into a 656 game contract.

Nah.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Pretty great start of a 8 year 6.1 mil contract. Some BRUTAL takes in this thread.

Don't think these takes are disproven by 5 games of an 8 year contract...

 

[JoeSakic13]

Don't think these takes are disproven by 5 games of an 8 year contract...

Save for maybe this one:

I mean outside of this past season he has been meh his entire career. They are pining a lot on what could be a fluke year.

 

[notbias]

Nichu is like the definition of a late bloomer. big super talented skater with raw skills. Got rushed into the league too early, had some injuries and issues with previous coaching, lost confidence. When he was with Dallas, he had literally one offensive move.

Shows up in Colorado with a smaller role, excelled and kept growing and adding to his offensive tool kit. He is sniping now, getting body positions in front of the net, making ridiculously good passes (see burakovsky OT goal).

Shooting at an unsustainable 30% and has an insanely high on-ice shooting percentage...

Good player, but let's see how the season plays out.