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Valeri Nichushkin of the Colorado Avalanche.

The Colorado Avalanche loaded up before the 2025/26 season and at the deadline, and after winning the Presidents’ Trophy, many expected them to be genuine Stanley Cup contenders. However, they fell in the Western Conference Finals to the Vegas Golden Knights, and this off-season, they’ve already made some massive moves that could impact the future of the organization.

Firstly, they parted ways with Chris MacFarland, who quickly signed on as General Manager of the Nashville Predators, and since then, they’ve made not one, but two trades with their Central Division rival. Another move or two was expected by the Avalanche heading into the 2026 NHL Draft as they look to clear up salary cap space, and on Thursday, we got the next deal.

Valeri Nichushkin Heading to the Columbus Blue Jackets

GettyValeri Nichushkin of the Colorado Avalanche.

After some chatter about Valeri Nichushkin early in the off-season, the team have made their next move, officially trading the veteran forward to the Columbus Blue Jackets, as first reported by NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman.

That report was followed up by the details, , with the Avalanche officially announcing they will be acquiring a second-round pick in 2026, a third-round pick in 2027 and fifth-round draft pick in 2028 in the surprising deal.

This past season, Nichushkin posted 17 goals and 49 points in 72 games played, and after some very productive seasons with the Avalanche, it’s easy to see why the Blue Jackets were intent on landing the 31-year-old veteran who can help this young team immediately take the next step forward.

Can Nichushkin Help the Blue Jackets to the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

Last year, the Blue Jackets made a big change behind the bench, hiring Rick Bowness who promptly help this team find not only their momentum as a team but their identity, re-signing early in the off-season to see this turnaround through. However, many believe the roster simply isn’t experienced enough, and that’s something they have gone about rectifying, extending Charlie Coyle and now adding the 31-year-old Nichushkin, who was a key piece of the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup run back in 2022.

Unfortunately, away from the ice there’s been plenty of drama involving the veteran as well, and with the opportunity to move on from that as well as earning themselves plenty of salary cap space given Nichushkin’s $6.125 million cap hit over the next four years, it’s a deal that benefits Colorado as much as it does Columbus. Last season was a down year for Nichushkin however, but with the opportunity to play in a top-six with Adam Fantilli, Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan and Dmitri Voronkov, there’s plenty of talent that will help him settle in well in Columbus.

Ultimately, this is a win-win for both teams, as the Blue Jackets get another experienced, impact forward to add to their improving roster, and for the Avalanche it nets them some much needed draft capital while shedding more and more money from the salary cap, but it may not be the last deal the Avalanche swing this off-season.