VALERI NICHUSHKIN - Right Winger - 24 - $2.95MM Cap Hit - RFA in 2020-2021
LAST UPDATED 8/17/19
Funny story with Nichushkin. I had designated him as a KHL flight risk after being bought out of his contract by the Dallas Stars, to ensure that I wouldn't write a report on him until he signed an NHL contract. About thirty minutes later, it was announced that he signed a contract with the Colorado Avalanche. So here we are. This reminds me a lot of when GM Joe Sakic made took another low-risk chance on a high-profile Russian bust- Nail Yakupov. Whether or not that chance turns into nothing like it did with Yakupov is up to Nichushkin, but the body of work he's presented in his 57 games since returning from the KHL are not promising. Nichushkin is a big winger who plays a power game, and his size and strength could typically give him value even if he's not scoring. In Nichushkin's case, though, I felt that he was still trying to play the skill game that made him so successful in the KHL, a league which features bigger ice surfaces that would afford Nichushkin more breathing room with the puck. Unfortunately, though, the NHL ice is very claustrophobic, and Nichushkin simply could not adjust his offensive style to a league with significantly less given time and space with the puck. He lacks the high-end skating ability to create space with his legs, and he wasn't versatile enough to abandon what worked in Russia in favor of using his size and strength to stay with pucks. His inability to adapt to the North American game destroyed his return season in the NHL, and I question whether he'll ever be able to adapt. Moving back to the KHL seemed like a smart development decision at the time, allowing Nichushkin to develop confidence and a record of scoring experience in a top men's league, but right now it looks like a mistake, as Nichushkin's learned too many habits that he relies on that will not and are not successful in the NHL. He's still worth the risk of signing to see if a change of scenery helps, but at this point, unless he changes how he approaches the game, I struggle to call him a legitimate NHL piece as things currently stand.
Funny story with Nichushkin. I had designated him as a KHL flight risk after being bought out of his contract by the Dallas Stars, to ensure that I wouldn't write a report on him until he signed an NHL contract. About thirty minutes later, it was announced that he signed a contract with the Colorado Avalanche. So here we are. This reminds me a lot of when GM Joe Sakic made took another low-risk chance on a high-profile Russian bust- Nail Yakupov. Whether or not that chance turns into nothing like it did with Yakupov is up to Nichushkin, but the body of work he's presented in his 57 games since returning from the KHL are not promising. Nichushkin is a big winger who plays a power game, and his size and strength could typically give him value even if he's not scoring. In Nichushkin's case, though, I felt that he was still trying to play the skill game that made him so successful in the KHL, a league which features bigger ice surfaces that would afford Nichushkin more breathing room with the puck. Unfortunately, though, the NHL ice is very claustrophobic, and Nichushkin simply could not adjust his offensive style to a league with significantly less given time and space with the puck. He lacks the high-end skating ability to create space with his legs, and he wasn't versatile enough to abandon what worked in Russia in favor of using his size and strength to stay with pucks. His inability to adapt to the North American game destroyed his return season in the NHL, and I question whether he'll ever be able to adapt. Moving back to the KHL seemed like a smart development decision at the time, allowing Nichushkin to develop confidence and a record of scoring experience in a top men's league, but right now it looks like a mistake, as Nichushkin's learned too many habits that he relies on that will not and are not successful in the NHL. He's still worth the risk of signing to see if a change of scenery helps, but at this point, unless he changes how he approaches the game, I struggle to call him a legitimate NHL piece as things currently stand.
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