Avalanche face hard decisions with Landeskog, Nichushkin in offseason after 2nd round loss to Dallas

DENVER (AP) — The biggest factor in the direction of the Colorado Avalanche's offseason plans may just hinge on trust.

Trust in whether captain Gabriel Landeskog can make a comeback after missing two full seasons with a knee injury. Trust also in whether Valeri Nichushkin can be counted on after leaving in the middle of a second straight postseason for off-the-ice issues.

President Joe Sakic and general manager Chris MacFarland face some hard decisions after the Avalanche saw their season come to a halt with a double-overtime home loss to the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the second round. Landeskog and Nichushkin are at the top of the list.

“You hate having that uncertainty because it makes it harder to plan,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “For management, for Chris and Joe, like, how do you plan? They’ll get clear on those guys’ situations as best they can and then form a plan and go from there. You’re hoping for answers and clarity so then you can build your team around that.”