Valeri Nichushkin
Valeri Ivanovich Nichushkin (; born March 4, 1995) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger who currently plays for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Dallas Stars in the first round, 10th overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career. KHL. After one season in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), Nichushkin transferred from Traktor Chelyabinsk to Dynamo Moscow on May 1, 2013. He then signed a two-year contract with Dynamo. However, the deal was terminated conditionally, allowing Nichushkin to play in the NHL, or be returned to Dynamo  if he failed to make the NHL team. NHL. Dallas Stars. Nichushkin played his first regular season NHL game on October 3, 2013, against the Florida Panthers. He scored his first career NHL goal on November 3, 2013, against Craig Anderson of the Ottawa Senators. After having a solid rookie season (14 goals and 20 assists), Nichushkin suffered from hip and groin soreness in the beginning of his sophomore campaign, 2014–15. Five games into the season, Nichushkin opted for hip surgery, which was performed on November 18, 2014. He rehabbed in New Jersey and re-joined the team in March  2015, practicing in a red no-contact jersey. As a restricted free agent following the conclusion of his entry-level deal in the 2015–16 season, Nichushkin and the Stars failed to agree to common grounds in contract negotiations. Unhappy with his current role within the Stars line-up, his KHL rights were traded from Dynamo Moscow to CSKA Moscow on September 20, 2016. He subsequently signed a two-year contract to return to the KHL with CSKA, with his NHL rights to be kept by the Stars. After two seasons with CSKA, Nichushkin returned to the Stars organization, in agreeing  to a two-year, $5.9 million contract on July 1, 2018. In his return to the Stars in the 2018–19 season, Nichushkin recorded 10 assists in 54 regular-season games, averaging 11:55 time on ice per game. Nichushkin skated in one game during the playoffs with the Stars and failed to record a point. After a disappointing campaign in failing to score a goal through 57 games, Nichuskin was placed on unconditional waivers and subsequently bought out from the remaining year of his contract with the Stars on 30 June 2019. Colorado Avalanche. Nichushkin signed a one-year, $ 850k contract with the Colorado Avalanche on August 19, 2019. Nichushkin scored his first goal in 2 years on November 23, 2019. In his first season with the Avalanche, Nichushkin received high praise from the analytics community for his high rankings in many advanced metrics, especially defensive metrics. Nichushkin finished the 2019-20 season with 13 goals and 27 points — the second most productive season of his career — and led all forwards in the NHL in defensive Goals Above Replacement. Such strong defensive play helped Nichushkin to receive votes for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, the award given to the  best defensive forward in the NHL, finishing 8th in voting. On October 10, 2020, the Avalanche re-signed Nichushkin, who was a restricted free agent, to a 2-year, $5 million contract extension.