Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin looks like the best power forward in NHL right now

Valeri Nichushkin hasn’t officially thrown a punch in an NHL fight in more than four years, and there are 92 guys who play his position who have registered more hits this season.

Nichushkin is not an elite power forward by previously held standards, but he might be the best modern version in the NHL right now. He has been one of the best players on the Avalanche for much of this season, and put together a virtuoso performance Tuesday night in a 5-4 win against the New York Islanders at Ball Arena.

“He’s a beast, and it’s just fun to watch him play,” Avs star Nathan MacKinnon said. “He’s so big and powerful … definitely works his tail off away from the ice. Always in the gym, always trying to get better. He deserves everything he’s getting.”

Nichushkin scored two goals to help the Avs rally from 3-1 and 4-3 deficits, but the play he made to draw a penalty that led to the game-winning goal was a perfect summation of all his talents. Nichushkin hustled back to the neutral zone to steal the puck, turned and barreled through Islanders defenders like he was a youth player bullying his way past kids two or three years younger en route to nearly scoring what would have been a goal of the year contender.

Val Nichushkin was inches away from the goal of the night#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/XrABTiq9US

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 3, 2024

“That couldn’t have come at a better time, and that’s as good of an individual effort as you’re going to find,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said.

Nichushkin doesn’t look to hit opposing players, but his size, strength and skill make him one of the best in the league at winning battles along the boards and in front of the net. His skating ability and reach make him a puck-retrieving, puck-hogging possession monster.

At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Nichushkin is a physical problem for most NHL defenses. He’s also in the 95th percentile or above with NHL Edge’s data on top skating speed, most bursts of 20-plus miles per hour and total distance skated this season.

He was an analytics darling early in his career before the production began to catch up with the underlying numbers. Nichushkin was a breakout star during Colorado’s 2022 march to the Stanley Cup, but injuries derailed him last season.

There was a slow start to this campaign, but since Anna Nichushkin was born in early November, her father has been one of the best goal scorers in the NHL. He has 19 this season, which is tied for 12th in the league, but his 18 since Nov. 8 is tied with Edmonton’s Zach Hyman for the most.

“I think the slowest portion of Val’s play was when the baby was late and he was excited and it was on his mind,” Bednar said. “Post-baby, he’s been amazing.”

This season began with some uncertainty about Nichushkin. His previous season ended under murky circumstances last spring, with Nichushkin leaving the team for personal reasons before Game 3 of a first-round playoff series loss to Seattle. An intoxicated woman was found in his hotel room the same day, and a team doctor called for an ambulance for assistance, according to a Seattle police report.

Both the team and Nichushkin addressed the situation before the season began, but there’s never been much clarity about what happened.

Had Nichushkin not played well this season, there might be more lingering questions. Bednar and his teammates have done nothing but praise him publicly, and his play on the ice has backed them up.

“Uncertainty would be from an outside perspective,” Bednar said. “I saw Val before I left here for the summer, and he was already doing great after he took care of himself and came back. I felt like Val was going to have a huge summer with training. He was finally through all of the injuries, etc.

“I really don’t have any concerns with him … we haven’t had to really address anything with him or with (Samuel) Girard coming back from (the) same kind of deal. I feel like both guys are in a really good spot. They’re feeling great mentally and physically, and they’re both playing really well.”

Nichushkin is one of the best 200-foot players in the NHL because of his defensive acumen and ability to help sustain offensive possessions either through brute force, sublime skill or a combination of the two. The goals and points are flowing because he’s become a world-class player in front of the opposing team’s net.

He has 60 shots on goal in the high-danger scoring area, according to NHL Edge, and 83 high-danger shot attempts, according to Natural Stat Trick. That’s one more HDCF than he had all of last season, and he’s on pace to shatter his career best of 107 set two years ago.