Confirmed with Link: Nichushkin back in assistance program; suspended a minimum of six months

[Drury_Sakic]

Wonder if there is a world where the Avs just throw caution to the wind and just spend Val’s money on Drouin and/or others and just deal with it in Nov if he really does turn it around.

If, and it’s a huge if, he actually does get it right, he is a bargain and an amazing hockey player.

However, the much more likely if, if he is not going turn it around, in Nov he simply won’t be allowed back and the cap hit is not an issue.

I imagine coming out of it, part of his reinstatement will be somewhat regular drug testing and a much tighter leash.

IMO, spend the money. In worse case if he proves it and comes back, move Wood, Colton, ect if you have to.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Wonder if there is a world where the Avs just throw caution to the wind and just spend Val’s money on Drouin and/or others and just deal with it in Nov if he really does turn it around.

If, and it’s a huge if, he actually does get it right, he is a bargain and an amazing hockey player.

However, the much more likely if, if he is not going turn it around, in Nov he simply won’t be allowed back and the cap hit is not an issue.

I imagine coming out of it, part of his reinstatement will be somewhat regular drug testing and a much tighter leash.

IMO, spend the money. In worse case if he proves it and comes back, move Wood, Colton, ect if you have to.

This is what I think they might do.

 

[NorthernAvsFan]

It’s not a hard decision. You terminate the contract. The uncertainty around Landeskog and Nichushkin has cost this team two seasons in a row.

Most importantly, Val can’t be counted on in the playoffs, that’s when he relapses.

Losing Nichushkin for nothing sucks, I don’t know if you can trade a suspended player, but I’d try that first. If that’s not possible, just cut him.

It will help navigate the salary cap issues.

The Avs have tried to help this guy multiple times. He’s not interested in help. He’s disgraced and embarrassed the team multiple times. He’s not fit to be an Av.

 

[Balthazar]

Wonder if there is a world where the Avs just throw caution to the wind and just spend Val’s money on Drouin and/or others and just deal with it in Nov if he really does turn it around.

Here's the kicker: We need Val's entire cap hit to pay Landy, not Drouin or others.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Wouldn't a straight buyout cost just over 2M$ per season? What is the point of settling if we are back to square one?

A buyout peaks at like 5/6mil per season and we’d be on the hook for like 14 years. A settlement from a termination wouldn’t be nearly as long.

 

[Drury_Sakic]

Here's the kicker: We need Val's entire cap hit to pay Landy, not Drouin or others.

The world where both come back is extremely narrow.

Spend it. If the fates line up and both come back and you gotta bail water and want to keep both, Colton, Wood, Lehkonen. Whatever combo of those guys you have to move you do it.

The good news is the Avs depth players with cap hits all are very tradable assets.

And if they both do come back, I doubt Landy comes back as a shell of himself player. He either is a serviceable top 6 guy or calls it quits. Nuke, you know if he comes back his game is not in question at least.

So if you have to gut some of your other depth to make room for these guys, the team won’t be hard regressing and each of those guys are tradable. Maybe the returns are limited due to cap pressures, but you can make the math work in a pinch.

It is better to bet on one/neither coming back and deal with that vs planning on them coming back and being short roster wise.

That all said, I don’t think Nuke comes back to this locker room.

 

[dahrougem2]

The world where both come back is extremely narrow.

Spend it. If the fates line up and both come back and you gotta bail water and want to keep both, Colton, Wood, Lehkonen. Whatever combo of those guys you have to move you do it.

The good news is the Avs depth players with cap hits all are very tradable assets.

And if they both do come back, I doubt Landy comes back as a shell of himself player. He either is a serviceable top 6 guy or calls it quits. Nuke, you know if he comes back his game is not in question at least.

So if you have to gut some of your other depth to make room for these guys, the team won’t be hard regressing and each of those guys are tradable. Maybe the returns are limited due to cap pressures, but you can make the math work in a pinch.

It is better to bet on one/neither coming back and deal with that vs planning on them coming back and being short roster wise.

That all said, I don’t think Nuke comes back to this locker room.

You don't ever in a million years trade someone like Lehkonen to make room for this drug addict.

Hell, I don't even like Colton and I'm not moving him.

F*** Val Nichushkin.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

A buyout peaks at like 5/6mil per season and we’d be on the hook for like 14 years. A settlement from a termination wouldn’t be nearly as long.

True, but honestly a straight buyout might be the better option when you look at the breakdown, and consider this teams contention window:

For this upcoming season, not only would they get the full $6.125M relief. They would even get a small $180k cap "chargeback", so they would essentially create $6.305M in cap space.


Next years penalty would still only be $520k, easily manageable. The next 4 years get increasingly tough to deal with... But if they're ultimately going to end up terminating and taking on a $2-3M cap penalty every year anyway, you could certainly make the argument that a buyout and giving yourself 2 more years with essentially no penalty would be worth it. Even years 3 and 4 of the buyout term with a cap hit of $3M would arguably be about the same as what termination ends up looking at anyway.


The thing is, yes the $1.7M cap hit all the way until 2035-36 would be quite unfortunate. But we're also potentially talking about a salary cap that's nearly at $100M by the 2026-27 season quite frankly. By the time the 6 years of $1.7M cap starts, we could easily be looking at a $110M+ Salary cap, to where a $1.7M cap hit is so small it would hardly have any impact.

 

[Drury_Sakic]

You don't ever in a million years trade someone like Lehkonen to make room for this drug addict.

Hell, I don't even like Colton and I'm not moving him.

F*** Val Nichushkin.

I would much prefer to not deal with Nuke again in the future as well, just saying in the absolute worst case scenario, where you spend the money to start the season and are for whatever reason are forced to make the space, it is more than doable.

Thus spend the money. Figure it all out when you can - hopefully some other solution presents this summer in a deal with the league and player.

I would bet money on Val not returning at all and/or the Avs finding some sort of zero/low cap hit solution to remove him from the roster.

 

[Balthazar]

I'd rather take Nuke back than buying him out. That's just not a solution.

If termination with a small cap penalty is not possible then just take him back.

If he's clean then you get a good player. If he's not clean then he's entering phase 4 which means suspended indefinitely with no cap hit and no guarantee to ever come back. Just make sure that he's getting tested frequently during the season so we don't get another playoff surprise.

 

[dahrougem2]

I'd rather take Nuke back than buying him out. That's just not a solution.

If termination with a small cap penalty is not possible then just take him back.

If he's clean then you get a good player. If he's not clean then he's entering phase 4 which means suspended indefinitely with no cap hit and no guarantee to ever come back. Just make sure that he's getting tested frequently during the season so we don't get another playoff surprise.

You would have to test this guy daily.

 

[NorthernAvsFan]

In what world do they have to buy him out? He’s using on the job. It’s fireable.

 

[Balthazar]

AJ had a good point the other day...

How is what is happening to Nuke right now not a deterrent to any player or any team to use the PAP?

If you're a player with cocaine addiction right now, will you ask for help knowing that you can get tested randomly any time and potentially put your team in deep shit? Worse, if you get to phase 3 you get suspended for 6 months without pay!

You can bet that both the players and teams will fear the player assistance program from now on (if that wasn't the case already).

 

[hockeyfish]

AJ had a good point the other day...

How is what is happening to Nuke right now not a deterrent to any player or any team to use the PAP?

If you're a player with cocaine addiction right now, will you ask for help knowing that you can get tested randomly any time and potentially put your team in deep shit? Worse, if you get to phase 3 you get suspended for 6 months without pay!

You can bet that both the players and teams will fear the player assistance program from now on (if that wasn't the case already).

The PAP isn't voluntary like they claim it to be.

 

[Balthazar]

The PAP isn't voluntary like they claim it to be.

At this point I no longer believe that the Avs shot themselves in the foot that much by forcing Nuke to join.

I guess it's possible that, after learning about the hotel room fiasco, the league forced the Avs to force Nuke into the program.

 

[LOFIN]

The PAP isn't voluntary like they claim it to be.

Yup. Refuse help, pretty sure that's grounds for contract termination.

 

[The Abusement Park]

AJ had a good point the other day...

How is what is happening to Nuke right now not a deterrent to any player or any team to use the PAP?

If you're a player with cocaine addiction right now, will you ask for help knowing that you can get tested randomly any time and potentially put your team in deep shit? Worse, if you get to phase 3 you get suspended for 6 months without pay!

You can bet that both the players and teams will fear the player assistance program from now on (if that wasn't the case already).

Don’t do drugs on the job then.

 

[Balthazar]

Don’t do drugs on the job then.

More like don't ask for help if you do.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

AJ had a good point the other day...

How is what is happening to Nuke right now not a deterrent to any player or any team to use the PAP?

If you're a player with cocaine addiction right now, will you ask for help knowing that you can get tested randomly any time and potentially put your team in deep shit? Worse, if you get to phase 3 you get suspended for 6 months without pay!

You can bet that both the players and teams will fear the player assistance program from now on (if that wasn't the case already).

It's an absolute shit point as the basis of the argument is that players don't want to get clean or can't stay clean.

Samuel Girard, volunteered to go into the program because he WANTED help. He got help. He came back and he's playing well.

Nuke was ordered into program three times. He has never wanted help.

 

[Balthazar]

It's an absolute shit point as the basis of the argument is that players don't want to get clean or can't stay clean.

Samuel Girard, volunteered to go into the program because he WANTED help. He got help. He came back and he's playing well.

Nuke was ordered into program three times. He has never wanted help.

The point is:

Ask for help = get tested regularly and pay a huge price if you fail

Don't ask for help = no test and no consequence whatsoever

 

[AllAboutAvs]

People that are forced into any kind of rehabilitation program never stay clean for long

 

[expatriatedtexan]

The point is:

Ask for help = get tested regularly and pay a huge price if you fail

Don't ask for help = no test and no consequence whatsoever

No.

What the real point is:

Ask for help = get help.

Getting ordered into the program does not equal asking for help.

 

[dahrougem2]

The point is:

Ask for help = get tested regularly and pay a huge price if you fail

Don't ask for help = no test and no consequence whatsoever

No, this is wrong. Nichushkin did not want help. He was forced into it because of his stubbornness. The testing is his own fault.

 

[Balthazar]

No, this is wrong. Nichushkin did not want help. He was forced into it because of his stubbornness. The testing is his own fault.

We don't know that, we assume that.

For casual hockey fans Val went into the program and this is what's happening. Team gets heavily punished and the player is now suspended 6 months without pay.

This shouldn't be perceived as if the league is constantly testing random players and Nuke pissed hot 3 times. He pissed hot 3 times but no one else is getting tested.

 

[EdAVSfan]

We don't know that, we assume that.

For casual hockey fans Val went into the program and this is what's happening. Team gets heavily punished and the player is now suspended 6 months without pay.

This shouldn't be perceived as if the league is constantly testing random players and Nuke pissed hot 3 times. He pissed hot 3 times but no one else is getting tested.

where on earth are you getting the 3rd paragraph from?

Where did you see that no one else is getting tested? Doesn’t the CBA state that EVERY player gets tested 2 times per year?