Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Officially on injured reserve

Nichushkin (upper body) was officially placed on injured reserve Saturday, per CapFriendly.

Considering Nichushkin was given a week-to-week designation Friday, it's no surprise to see him placed on IR. The Avalanche are still in a bit of a roster/salary cap pinch with Gabriel Landeskog suspended and Nathan MacKinnon in COVID-19 protocols. Nichushkin will first be eligible to return next Saturday versus the Lightning, but it seems like his absence will stretch longer than that.