Valeri Nichushkin
#43 · Right wing · Columbus Blue Jackets
Born Mar 4, 1995 in Chelyabinsk, RUS (age 31) · 6'4", 217 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 10th overall in 2013 by DAL (round 1)
Trophy case
Compare with a similar player
The forwards closest to him in points in 2018-19. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.
Chris Kunitz
CHI ·
10 P in 56 GP
Tim Schaller
VAN ·
10 P in 47 GP
Boo Nieves
NYR ·
10 P in 43 GP
Kevin Rooney
NJD ·
10 P in 41 GP
Matthew Peca
MTL ·
10 P in 39 GP
Career
Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.
Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | P/GP | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | DAL | 79 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 20 | 8 | 128 | 86 | 0.43 | $925K |
| 2014-15 | DAL | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -5 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 0.13 | $925K |
| 2015-16 | DAL | 79 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 2 | 12 | 139 | 68 | 0.37 | $925K |
| 2018-19 | DAL | 57 | 0 | 10 | 10 | -4 | 0 | 65 | 71 | 0.18 | $2.95M |
| 2019-20 | COL | 65 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 26 | 14 | 113 | 84 | 0.42 | $850K |
| 2020-21 | COL | 55 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 98 | 65 | 0.38 | $2.5M |
| 2021-22 | COL | 62 | 25 | 27 | 52 | 21 | 14 | 180 | 89 | 0.84 | $2.5M |
| 2022-23 | COL | 53 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 15 | 2 | 158 | 54 | 0.89 | $6.125M |
| 2023-24 | COL | 54 | 28 | 25 | 53 | 5 | 22 | 158 | 74 | 0.98 | $6.125M |
| 2024-25 | COL | 43 | 21 | 13 | 34 | 11 | 8 | 118 | 55 | 0.79 | $6.125M |
| 2025-26 | COL | 72 | 17 | 32 | 49 | 9 | 26 | 160 | 55 | 0.68 | $6.125M |
| 2026-27 | CBJ | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 0.50 | $6.125M |
| 12 seasons | Career | 631 | 155 | 204 | 359 | 108 | 112 | 1331 | 714 | 0.57 |
Playoffs
Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | P/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | DAL | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 0.33 |
| 2015-16 | DAL | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 0.10 |
| 2018-19 | DAL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
| 2019-20 | COL | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 46 | 0.25 |
| 2020-21 | COL | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -3 | 10 | 30 | 30 | 0.30 |
| 2021-22 | COL | 20 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 72 | 51 | 0.75 |
| 2022-23 | COL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0.50 |
| 2023-24 | COL | 8 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 21 | 1.25 |
| 2024-25 | COL | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 20 | 0.57 |
| 2025-26 | COL | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 17 | 0.33 |
| 10 seasons | Playoffs | 88 | 28 | 15 | 43 | 3 | 26 | 198 | 207 | 0.49 |
2018-19 season totals
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | P/GP | Shooting % | Avg TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | 0 | 10 | 10 | -4 | 0 | 65 | 71 | 0.18 | 0.0 | 11:55 |
Contract
His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 696 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.
The contract
Signed by the Dallas Stars on Jul 1, 2018, as a new contract: 2 years and $5.9M, beginning in 2018-19. It was signed to run through 2019-20, but the Dallas Stars bought it out on Jun 29, 2019, so this was its last season.
| Season | Cap hit | Base salary | Signing bonus | Performance bonuses | Paid in all | Clause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $2.95M | $2.2M | $500K | $2.7M |
Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.
Contracts he has signed
| Signed | Signed by | Kind | Seasons | Years | In all | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 2022 | Colorado Avalanche | Extension | 2022-23 to 2029-30 | 8 | $49M | $6.125M |
| Oct 10, 2020 | Colorado Avalanche | New contract | 2020-21 to 2021-22 | 2 | $5M | $2.5M |
| Aug 19, 2019 | Colorado Avalanche | New contract | 2019-20 to 2019-20 | 1 | $850K | $850K |
| Jul 1, 2018 | Dallas Stars | New contract bought out, Jun 29, 2019 | 2018-19 to 2018-19 | 2 | $5.9M | $2.95M |
| Jul 6, 2013 | Dallas Stars | Entry-level | 2013-14 to 2015-16 | 3 | $6.375M | $925K |
Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2018-19 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.
2018-19 playoff analytics
Rating
The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. A playoff run is too short to rank anyone on. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.
On the ice
What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean
These are left plain: he has not been on the ice enough to be ranked. That takes at least 200 shot attempts with him out there, about six or seven games, and a quarter of what the busiest skater has. Over a game or two these numbers are mostly chance.
Who he played with
| Forward line | GP | Time | CF% | xGF% | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Spezza · Andrew Cogliano · Valeri Nichushkin | 1 | 6:17 | 40.0 | 47.7 | 0-0 |
| Andrew Cogliano · Justin Dowling · Valeri Nichushkin | 1 | 0:33 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0-0 |
The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.
Chances and finishing
Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.
Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 66 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest in these playoffs.
Where he shot from
Every attempt he took in these playoffs, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.
Game log
| Date | Opponent | Result | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2019 | @ VAN | L 2-3 (SO) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 08:24 |
| Mar 28, 2019 | @ EDM | W 3-2 (SO) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 09:23 |
| Mar 27, 2019 | @ CGY | W 2-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:15 |
| Mar 25, 2019 | @ WPG | W 5-2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10:14 |
| Mar 23, 2019 | vs PIT | L 2-3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 07:21 |
| Mar 19, 2019 | vs FLA | W 4-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12:11 |
| Mar 17, 2019 | vs VAN | L 2-3 (SO) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 13:38 |
| Mar 15, 2019 | vs VGK | L 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 08:56 |
| Mar 12, 2019 | @ BUF | W 2-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10:24 |
| Mar 7, 2019 | vs COL | W 4-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11:36 |
| Mar 5, 2019 | vs NYR | W 1-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:14 |
| Mar 2, 2019 | @ STL | W 4-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 13:34 |
| Feb 28, 2019 | @ LAK | W 4-3 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13:19 |
| Feb 26, 2019 | @ VGK | L 1-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 13:30 |
| Feb 23, 2019 | vs CAR | L 0-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 07:42 |
| Feb 19, 2019 | vs NSH | L 3-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 08:55 |
| Feb 14, 2019 | @ TBL | L 0-6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12:11 |
| Feb 12, 2019 | @ FLA | W 3-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 07:42 |
| Feb 2, 2019 | @ NSH | W 3-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 09:08 |
| Feb 1, 2019 | vs MIN | W 3-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:04 |
| Jan 15, 2019 | vs TBL | L 0-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10:24 |
| Jan 12, 2019 | vs STL | L 1-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 09:53 |
| Jan 10, 2019 | @ PHI | L 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12:52 |
| Jan 8, 2019 | @ STL | W 3-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 15:00 |
| Jan 4, 2019 | vs WSH | W 2-1 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11:56 |
| Jan 2, 2019 | vs NJD | W 5-4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13:34 |
| Dec 31, 2018 | vs MTL | L 2-3 (OT) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 15:50 |
| Dec 27, 2018 | @ NSH | W 2-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:28 |
| Dec 23, 2018 | vs NYI | L 1-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:54 |
| Dec 22, 2018 | @ MIN | W 2-1 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 17:04 |
| Dec 20, 2018 | vs CHI | L 2-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 10:57 |
| Dec 18, 2018 | vs CGY | W 2-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10:10 |
| Dec 15, 2018 | @ COL | L 4-6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 09:59 |
| Dec 13, 2018 | @ SJS | L 2-3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11:20 |
| Dec 12, 2018 | @ ANA | L 3-6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11:56 |
| Dec 3, 2018 | vs EDM | W 4-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13:43 |
| Nov 28, 2018 | @ CGY | W 4-3 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 08:11 |
| Nov 27, 2018 | @ EDM | L 0-1 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 13:39 |
| Nov 24, 2018 | @ COL | L 2-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 07:32 |
| Nov 23, 2018 | vs OTT | W 6-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11:50 |
| Nov 21, 2018 | @ PIT | L 1-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15:32 |
| Nov 19, 2018 | @ NYR | L 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:51 |
| Nov 18, 2018 | @ NYI | W 6-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 16:25 |
| Nov 16, 2018 | vs BOS | W 1-0 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11:50 |
| Nov 12, 2018 | vs CBJ | L 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14:25 |
| Nov 10, 2018 | vs NSH | L 4-5 (OT) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13:29 |
| Nov 8, 2018 | vs SJS | W 4-3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:43 |
| Nov 6, 2018 | @ CBJ | L 1-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:18 |
| Nov 5, 2018 | @ BOS | L 1-2 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10:42 |
| Nov 3, 2018 | @ WSH | W 4-3 (OT) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 13:00 |
| Nov 1, 2018 | @ TOR | W 2-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12:10 |
| Oct 30, 2018 | @ MTL | W 4-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11:34 |
| Oct 28, 2018 | @ DET | L 2-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13:33 |
| Oct 25, 2018 | vs ANA | W 5-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12:23 |
| Oct 15, 2018 | @ OTT | L 1-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10:40 |
| Oct 13, 2018 | vs ANA | W 5-3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 09:54 |
| Oct 9, 2018 | vs TOR | L 4-7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12:54 |