The wait is over for Dallas Stars fans, as Valeri Nichushkin is back in the NHL. The Russian forward has officially signed his two-year contract that carries a cap hit of $2.95MM. Nichushkin is returning after two years in the KHL, and will add another dimension to the Stars offensive group.
The 23-year-old and former 10th overall pick back in 2013 started out his NHL career well as he scored 14 goals and tallied 34 points in his rookie campaign immediately after being drafted. The 6-foot-4, 205 pound forward is referred to as a freight train, but a hip injury derailed his second year and he was never able to recover and saw his playing time decrease the year after that. The moment he hit restricted free agency, Nichushkin took his game back to the KHL, where he posted 11 goals and followed that up with a strong 16-goal performance this past year for CSKA Moscow, which was good enough for third on his team in goals scored.
Now back in the fold in Dallas, Nichushkin hopes he can continue along the career path that he started at. He will be given every opportunity to take a second or third-line spot on the wing this season with the Stars.