Avalanche players express shock, disappointment in Valeri Nichushkin news: “He made his decisions”

Fresh off a 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars that put this Avalanche season that began with championship aspirations on the brink, the veteran defenseman did not hold back as well as some of his teammates. The Avs were without Valeri Nichushkin, the team's leading goal scorer in this postseason, in Game 4 against the Stars. “He made his decisions,” Johnson said. Nichushkin's entry into Stage 3 of the program was the result of a violation of the terms of his Stage 2 treatment.