Confirmed with Link: Nichushkin back in assistance program; suspended a minimum of six months

[the_fan]

If they bring Val back after all this, would you boo him if you’re at the game?

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I understand being pissed and wanting him gone, but i just cant get on board with wanting him gone at any cost. If the standard buyout is the only option, i cant see taking a 2 million cap hit for 12 years to do it

There is no way the Avs go the buyout route.

 

[lionsDen]

I understand being pissed and wanting him gone, but i just cant get on board with wanting him gone at any cost. If the standard buyout is the only option, i cant see taking a 2 million cap hit for 12 years to do it

Agreed

There is no way the Avs go the buyout route.

That leaves them trading him, does he have value? Would we have to retain, what would be the market for him.

 

[Mighty Makar]

If they bring Val back after all this, would you boo him if you’re at the game?

I would!

 

[lionsDen]

Losing nuke is gonna be really hard for this team, we saw the numbers when he was out of the lineup. Dude was a machine… and a cc cowboy

 

[The Merchant]

The most important thing is whether or not Val himself thinks he has an addiction and really wants help. If not then all this programs and stuff are a waste of time. He’s gonna continue doing what he’s doing if he doesn’t think he has an addiction and he’s actually having fun doing drugs

Yep. It's been reported that the treatment in January was pushed onto him by management. It's obvious at this point that he either doesn't believe he has a problem or doesn't care.

 

[the_fan]

Yep. It's been reported that the treatment in January was pushed onto him by management. It's obvious at this point that he either doesn't believe he has a problem or doesn't care.

And that’s a real problem

 

[Drury_Sakic]

Will you get a player to replace Nuke if they manage to get out from his contract….no…unless Lando really is a Norse God and able to come back after 2 years with a new knee and be a top 25 player again.

But… they can do things like keep Drouin while also getting back a somewhat diminished but still valuable Lando back.

Or if Lando really is done, they can keep Drouin and go find another middle 6 forward still.

The certainty of moving out from Val is what is needed at this point more than his potential game changing ability on ice. Unpredictably is what has cost the Avs the last two series they lost…between both Val and Lando.

They need to start eliminating the variables now so they can go into the off season and build accordingly.

 

[wayninja]

If they bring Val back after all this, would you boo him if you’re at the game?

Every. Damn. Time.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

That leaves them trading him, does he have value? Would we have to retain, what would be the market for him.

Or wait it out until he screws up.

 

[willy702]

Yep. It's been reported that the treatment in January was pushed onto him by management. It's obvious at this point that he either doesn't believe he has a problem or doesn't care.

Id lean towards doesn't care. Like a functional alcoholic, he got caught in a drug test. This time it wasn't no showing a practice and being found in a hotel room. Maybe the consequences finally get him to change his mind or maybe he looks at how much money he's already banked from his NHL deals and DGAF. Honestly though the family really surprises me. It's one thing to miss your old home and want to see friends and family there. It's another to live there these days. I mean what if when he retires they say thank you for those great years now go grab a gun because you have been drafted?

 

[Drury_Sakic]

Id lean towards doesn't care. Like a functional alcoholic, he got caught in a drug test. This time it wasn't no showing a practice and being found in a hotel room. Maybe the consequences finally get him to change his mind or maybe he looks at how much money he's already banked from his NHL deals and DGAF. Honestly though the family really surprises me. It's one thing to miss your old home and want to see friends and family there. It's another to live there these days. I mean what if when he retires they say thank you for those great years now go grab a gun because you have been drafted?

Val goes back to Russia a hero and gets signed by a KHL team to sell tickets and dominate the league. He will be a political prop for a long time if he does that…only needing to get cleaned up for potential international competitions.

He is not at risk of being sent to the front lines. Or falling out of a window.

 

[Chiarelli]

Pray to f*** that him and his family think this is a NA issue and the Avs can lowball him into leaving with minimal cap penalties.

 

[Ceremony]

If they bring Val back after all this, would you boo him if you’re at the game?

Personally I can't wait for the riot that ensues when he scores the OT winner against us for the Lightning while signed to league minimum.

 

[LOFIN]

Personally I can't wait for the riot that ensues when he scores the OT winner against us for the Lightning while signed to league minimum.

Florida and Nuke huh. I see absolutely nothing going wrong with that combination.

 

[Boulder Avalanche]

PR for the outside doesn’t matter what would is what the room thinks of him. Plenty of athletes are pieces of **** and it is overlooked because of their impact on the game.

 

[henchman21]

PR for the outside doesn’t matter what would is what the room thinks of him. Plenty of athletes are pieces of **** and it is overlooked because of their impact on the game.

It does matter to teams. If a player is a POS, but it can be hidden... they are more likely to keep that player over one that has public issues.

 

[LOFIN]

It does matter to teams. If a player is a POS, but it can be hidden... they are more likely to keep that player over one that has public issues.

We are talking about a guy with a substance abuse problem, not a domestic abuser or worse.

 

[henchman21]

We are talking about a guy with a substance abuse problem, not a domestic abuser or worse.

A guy with substance abuse issues who is married and was caught in a hotel room with a prostitute... and spent his summer getting hammered and posed like a Russian gangster with an AK47. Pretty clear to see there are PR issues here.

 

[Gumballhead]

A guy with substance abuse issues who is married and was caught in a hotel room with a prostitute... and spent his summer getting hammered and posed like a Russian gangster with an AK47. Pretty clear to see there are PR issues here.

Imagine if the NHL was popular enough to really give a shit -- imagine all this if he were an NBA player. That AK photo would have been front page news.

 

[henchman21]

Imagine if the NHL was popular enough to really give a shit -- imagine all this if he were an NBA player. That AK photo would have been front page news.

The NHL would have their own Ja Morant!

 

[Gumballhead]

The NHL would have their own Ja Morant!

Da Morant.

The NHL would have their own Ja Morant!

And that's exactly what I was thinking of.

 

[henchman21]

Da Morant.


And that's exactly what I was thinking of.

 

[LOFIN]

A guy with substance abuse issues who is married and was caught in a hotel room with a prostitute... and spent his summer getting hammered and posed like a Russian gangster with an AK47. Pretty clear to see there are PR issues here.

None of what you described above were a major PR problem before. Why would they be now? I'm not trying to downplay those actions btw.

 

[henchman21]

None of what you described above were a major PR problem before. Why would they be now? I'm not trying to downplay those actions btw.

They have been before and the Avs worked hard to minimize their impact. Any future issue will have even more of a lens shown on it because of those past issues. The Avs are sensitive to PR things which is why they work to control the narrative as much as possible.