Vegas General Manager George McPhee, along with head coach Gerard Gallant, are set to reveal their roster tonight, and the pool of players it can choose from is a fluid one. Players such as Marc-Andre Fluery, James Neal, and David Perron are there for the picking.
One of the names not available for McPhee is Dallas’ Valeri Nichushkin.
Nichushkin, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft, played three seasons in Dallas. He has compiled 23 goals in 166 career NHL games. Nichushkin missed all but eight games in the 2014-15 season.
Still under contract with Dallas, Nichushkin decided to sign with the CSKA Moscow of the KHL in 2016. The 22-year old winger put together a quality season – 41 points in 36 games (11 goals, 13 assists).
Dallas general manager Jim Nill’s decision to protect Nichushkin from Vegas in this expansion draft was a curious one. A recent article from NHL.com states the chances the big Russian returns to the NHL next season is “50-50,” according to a scout.
Nichushkin’s talents were never the issue. It has always been his willingness to put forth the effort and questions by some fans of whether he actually wanted to play in the NHL. During his time in Dallas, Nichushkin and then-head coach Lindy Ruff rarely saw eye-to-eye. Nichushkin spent many nights either as a healthy scratch or was shifted down to the third or fourth line.
If he couldn’t handle Ruff’s decisions, how is he going to handle Hitchcock’s? He’s notorious for wearing on players — the furthest thing from a “players-coach”. Nichushkin will have work to do to gain trust from the hard-nosed coach, leadership, and fans, again, after bolting a season ago.
Protecting Nichushkin forced general manager Jim Nill to expose Cody Eakin in the expansion draft. Eakin is coming off the worst season of his career (60 games played, three goals, nine assists and minus-7), so exposing Eakin may seem like a no-brainer.
However, some fans can’t help but wonder if Eakin could flourish under the structured style of Hitchcock. He is arguably one of the better defensive forwards Dallas has in their bottom six. While his offensive game leaves much to be desired, his willingness to play 200 feet is what Dallas needs.
It’s yet to be seen if we will ever see the same style of play from Nichuskin — or if he will even be on Dallas’ roster. Which leaves some fans wondering if protecting Nichushkin in the expansion draft was the right move for the Stars in the long-term.