Hope the dude gets help. Also hope he’s done with the avs. They’ve been very good to him and this is the second playoffs in a row he’s screwed them….
I have empathy for him but do not want him on this team anymore, don’t care the circumstances.
I had a friend, whose husband and her had a son who, unfortunately, got caught in a spiral of drug addiction. They were more than gracious to him, despite numerous arrests and such and letting him work out his issues at home.
But it came to a head one night when he broke down the front door, as they locked him out due to him stealing from the father. He broke down the door and went to his sister's room (she was a teen at the time) where he started asking her for money and when she said she didn't have any, he started turning over everything in her room to find the money. His parents told him to leave and he wouldn't so they called the cops on him.
Ultimately, they made the hard decision to have him put into a drug program up north (Teen Challenge). It was for his own good as he had hit rock bottom. They tried to show as much support, empathy and care as possible and clearly they deeply loved him. But understandably, they couldn't handle the addiction's tangible effects insofar as violent outbursts and actions. So they had to get him put into a specific program well outside of their residential jurisdiction. Unfortunately, the story does not have a happy ending, and addiction ended up costing him his life.
It is true Nichushkin has money, but honestly, that only goes so far. Hopefully he has a support circle of friends and family available. If not, the Avs, I suspect, have hit their rock bottom. No one likes talking about image, but these corporations protect their image and reputation like no one's business. They have demonstrated that they will stand by their players, but just as in real life, there is no such thing as unlimited chances and certainly no such thing as perpetual immunity from consequences (well, unless you are a politician). I'll be shocked if the Avs do not cut ties with him. He has been given enough chances as it is. Certainly, I have no doubt that they wish the best for him and hope he can find a way to work through this, but likely not under the guidance and care of the hockey team.