Avs sign former 1st-rounder Nichushkin to 1-year deal

The Colorado Avalanche have signed free-agent forward Valeri Nichushkin to a one-year contract, the team announced Monday.

The deal is worth $850,000, the club confirmed to The Athletic's Ryan Clark.

Nichushkin was originally drafted 10th overall by the Dallas Stars in 2013. He then played in the NHL right away as an 18-year-old, tallying an impressive 14 goals and 20 assists in 79 games. However, injuries held him to just eight appearances the following season, and he struggled to recapture his rookie form in 2015-16, scoring just nine goals.

After two campaigns in the KHL, Nichushkin returned to the Stars in 2018-19 but didn't enjoy much success. In 57 regular-season contests, the Russian failed to score a single goal and was scratched for all but one of Dallas' 13 playoff games.

Despite the lack of offensive production, the 24-year-old winger boasts a tantalizing combination of size (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) and speed.

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