Valeri Nichushkin is done for the rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Colorado Avalanche forward has been placed in Stage 3 of the Player Assistance Program, the NHLPA and NHL announced Monday. Under the terms of the joint program, Nichushkin will be suspended without pay for a minimum of six months and then will be eligible to apply for reinstatement.
The news came roughly an hour before the Avs were set to play the Dallas Stars on Monday night at Ball Arena in Game 4 of their second-round Stanley Cup Playoff series. Dallas leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.