Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin’s on-ice value is obvious once again after successful return

Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin (13) gets after the puck in the period against the New Jersey Devils at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)It took 25 seconds for Valeri Nichushkin to make an impact Wednesday night.

Nichushkin hadn’t played in 21 games because of a lower-body injury, but his return was a successful one in a 5-1 thumping of the New Jersey Devils. And it started right from his first shift.

New Jersey defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic attempted an outlet pass from below his goal line. The puck was heading to the right of the left-shooting Nichushkin. He spun and whacked it out of mid-air, sending back toward the…