Confirmed with Link: Nuke scored a MotherF****ing goal!!!

[CobraAcesS]

I’m eating crow big time on Nuke. Hated the signing when it happened, boy was I wrong. He’s been everything the Avs could’ve hoped for.

Was it because of Yakupov? You are not the only one.

I just don't get why signing him was so polarizing for some people. AJ went off about it, and plenty of people here did too. I sort of viewed it as a PTO with guaranteed money because hed be off to Russia if he didn't work out.

 

[Pokecheque]

Was it because of Yakupov? You are not the only one.

I just don't get why signing him was so polarizing for some people. AJ went off about it, and plenty of people here did too. I sort of viewed it as a PTO with guaranteed money because hed be off to Russia if he didn't work out.

That's pretty much how I thought it was gonna go.

I didn't like the deal at the time either--I suppose some of the purported attitude issues and the fact the guy scored ZERO GOALS the year previous gave me (and apparently some others) pause. Could not be more thrilled to (once again) be wrong.

 

[forsbergavs32]

I didn’t really care either way about the signing. It’s for a small amount of money on a 1 year deal so I saw it as something that if it worked then great but if not it wasn’t a huge deal. But it’s been great and I have no issues bringing him back on another 1-2 year deal. As long as he keeps playing how he’s playing (even if he’s not scoring) he’s an ideal 3rd liner who can PK very well.

 

[CobraAcesS]

That's pretty much how I thought it was gonna go.

I didn't like the deal at the time either--I suppose some of the purported attitude issues and the fact the guy scored ZERO GOALS the year previous gave me (and apparently some others) pause. Could not be more thrilled to (once again) be wrong.

I don't really view having zero faith in the player, and the outrage against even signing him as necessarily synonymous topics.

I just found it interesting people had any stronger reaction than whatevs to the actual signing.

Speaking of.. I actually like Sakic's willingness to waste cash as long as it does not hurt by taking up needed cap space longer term.

Retaining on Barrie, Orpik, signing Nuke, etc

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Nichuskin has two more goals and one more assist than Jost.

 

[Balthazar]

I’m eating crow big time on Nuke. Hated the signing when it happened, boy was I wrong. He’s been everything the Avs could’ve hoped for.

We all are. No one was happy because he'd "steal" a roster spot from someone like Greer

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

He is looking excellent. What a find!

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I didn't see the point in this signing at the start of the season but I was meh about it because it wasn't costing us anything. What a find by the FO! He needs to be re-signed ASAP. I have become a big fan.

 

[AvsCOL]

Going to sound crazy, but what if Nischushkin is just now finding his game? Took Blake Wheeler a long time to come into his own as a player, and there's a chance Valeri could be the same. Not saying he's anywhere close to a Blake Wheeler, but imagine if the Avs found a top-6 forward for free?

 

[hughdreamz]

Nuke has looked pretty great so far. His speed is shocking and his defensive game has been solid. I've been most impressed with how easily to just steals the puck from opponents. I hope we re-sign him. He is a perfect 3/4 line replacement of Nieto

 

[avsfan09]

That's pretty much how I thought it was gonna go.

I didn't like the deal at the time either--I suppose some of the purported attitude issues and the fact the guy scored ZERO GOALS the year previous gave me (and apparently some others) pause. Could not be more thrilled to (once again) be wrong.

I remember watching his highlights and thinking he was an extremely dumb hockey player with physical attributes. I think he's just a north south guy who likes to simplify his game which actually is something we could use more of. Used to be Landeskogs game.

 

[AvsGuy]

I'm still blown away by his strength and speed. He's finally found a way to use his brain to maximize those gifts, even without the puck, but he's an absolute physical monster when he turns it on.

The goal against Chicago is insane to me, he goes from a faceoff standstill to full tilt in about half a second

The entire building announcers included was like, wtf just happened



^^ That right there is the speed, acceleration and play-reading ability of an elite player. I don't expect him to fully realize that, but even if he gets halfway there, what an incredible add to this team

 

[Pokecheque]

I love how the CHI guy says "Saaaaaave by Crawford!" even though he didn't.

 

[Avs_19]

The defense is so bad that he mishandled the puck after getting interfered with by the linesman and still easily walked in. Poor defense and goaltending on this particular goal aside, I love how often he goes to the net with power.

I'm just glad this thread is getting all the attention whenever he does anything rather than his signing thread. Lets pretend like those posts didn't happen. We always believed in him!

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I know this is still a small sample but since he had one pt in his first 16 games he now has 16 pts in his last 26 games. That's a 51 pt pace during these last 26 games. He also has 8 goals in his last 24 games. That's a 27 goal pace over an 82-game season. He is also +16.

I don't know if he can keep up these paces but he certainly has the talent and especially the work ethic for it. When you sign a guy for just 850K and see him climb the lineup from 4th line to 3rd line to 2nd line you have done something real good as a FO and coach. If he could become a mainstay on the 3rd line next season and produce consistently at a 40-pt pace I would be extremely happy with him.

 

[AegonLeConqueror]

Nichuskin has two more goals and one more assist than Jost.

This doesn't surprise me because he is a lot better than Jost

 

[Pokecheque]

Brent Burns is truly horrid at defense. I still wonder if it was the right move converting him and not keeping him as a forward. Oh well.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Brent Burns is truly horrid at defense. I still wonder if it was the right move converting him and not keeping him as a forward. Oh well.

Oh his success as an OFD dman means the move was totally worth it. He’s an elite OFD, but he isn’t a good defender no matter what people say.

 

[Pokecheque]

Oh his success as an OFD dman means the move was totally worth it. He’s an elite OFD, but he isn’t a good defender no matter what people say.

Yeah, I just remembered when the Sharks were struggling and they moved him up to wing alongside Thornton and they really did well afterwards. He's obviously a phenomenal shooter and very creative offensively...I just wonder though if they had kept him at forward and looked for another decent backliner (well, I guess they did when they acquired Karlsson) if they wouldn't have been better off. Either way, it looks like their fate is sealed, for better or worse.

 

[avs1dacup]

Brent Burns is truly horrid at defense. I still wonder if it was the right move converting him and not keeping him as a forward. Oh well.

The only reason he gets ANY Norris mention is because he's putting up 80 points as a D. He puts up the typical 40-50 and he's a nobody.

 

[AvsFan29]

I know this is still a small sample but since he had one pt in his first 16 games he now has 16 pts in his last 26 games. That's a 51 pt pace during these last 26 games. He also has 8 goals in his last 24 games. That's a 27 goal pace over an 82-game season. He is also +16.

I think Sakic could lock him down for a while on the cheap. Before this season started, Nuke probably thought his career was likely over. His second NHL stint ended in a buy out, and I doubt many teams called him.

if you offer somebody like that $2m for 4-5 years, they may very well take it.

I honestly think his upside potential is 60ish points, but at $2m, that’s a massive steal. He’s also phenomenal defensively and can PK.

he could turn out to be a real gem.

 

[AvsGuy]

Pay the man his Jarnkroks

 

[forsbergavs32]

I didn’t have a problem with the signing but I didn’t think much of it either. I just figured it would be another Yakupov situation but it’s been a very pleasant surprise. Really hope we re-sign him. Even if he’s not scoring he’s very effective.

 

[Freaky Styley]

I'm really excited to see him in the playoffs. He could be a beast for us if he continues like this. I'm excited to see a lot of our guys in the playoffs. The new guys and the ones we complain about all have performed well/better in the playoffs than regular season - Donskoi, Compher, Jost, and Bura has had some big moments. Plus Kadri's style if he actually stays in games is suited for the postseason. That's what's exciting about this season and why this team is a dark horse for me.

 

[Linds]

What if JB put Nuke on MacKinnon's wing and all Nuke would have to do is dig pucks out which he's really good at and crash the net when mack has the puck or shoots, he's fast, huge, and strong..to me it's worth a shot for a couple of games