The Colorado Avalanche have battled through myriad injuries in 2022-23, losing several key players for long periods of time. Reinforcements have been slowly rejoining the ranks, and now the latest Avs star could be on the verge of getting back on the ice on Monday. Ahead of Colorado's clash with the Detroit Red Wings, the Avalanche dropped a major hint as to the playing status of Valeri Nichushkin for the showdown.

Captioning their post “To cure your Monday blues” the Avs posted a photo of Nichushkin arriving at Ball Arena well ahead of their scheduled game vs. the Red Wings.

Is Valeri Nichushkin playing vs. Red Wings? 

Valeri Nichushkin, who has been sidelined since Dec. 23, and had missed extended time at the beginning of the season in addition to that, was spotted at practice on Sunday wearing a full-contact jersey. It was reported by Ryan Boulding of NHL.com that Nichushkin could be back for Monday's game, and it looks like the star forward may well be on track toward making a much-needed return for the mid-January clash.

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The Avs hinted at as much with their social media post, so fans in Denver should be excited over the possibility of seeing the 27-year-old back on the ice on Monday vs. the Red Wings.

The Avalanche have limped to a 21-17-3 record this season, holding onto the No. 4 seed in the Central Division amid the flurry of injuries. With just three wins in their last 10 games, getting Nichushkin back will be a major boost for the team.

Injuries have limited the Russian winger to just 15 games in the 2022-23 NHL season. He's registered 16 points, including seven goals and nine assists. He hasn't been on the ice as much as he'd like after penning his big eight-year, $49 million deal in the offseason, but he'll hope that he can avoid another injury once he's back in action.