Avalanche trade Cup-winning forward to Columbus in salary dump

The Avalanche are moving on from one of their Stanley Cup winners.

Colorado dealt forward Valeri Nichushkin to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, the team announced, clearing his $6.125 million cap hit in what appears to be a salary-shedding move. It also ends one of the most up-and-down careers anyone has ever had on the ice in Denver.

In return, the Avs get a trio of picks: a 2026 second-rounder (43rd overall), a 2027 third-rounder and a 2028 fifth-rounder.

That second-round pick has bounced around. Originally St. Louis property, it went to Pittsburgh, then to Columbus this past December before landing in Colorado’s lap at No. 43. The third- and fifth-rounders are Columbus’ own.

It’s a clean cap dump for general manager Joe Sakic, who needed the room with Cale Makar’s mega-extension looming.

Nichushkin, 31, signed an eight-year, $49 million deal after Colorado’s 2022 Stanley Cup run. He was arguably the team’s best performer in that series against Tampa. The next two years he was a point-per-game guy in the regular season, but he still never lived up to the contract.

That’s because his tenure was complicated. Two separate run-ins with the league’s substance abuse program cost him playoff time in back-to-back springs.

He played 404 regular-season games for the Avs from 2019-26, racking up 283 points (131 goals, 152 assists), and added 40 points in 74 playoff games.

Colorado gets cap relief and draft capital. Columbus takes a swing on a big, skilled winger looking for a reset.