The Colorado Avalanche have a lot of firepower in their forward group. Even with a number of roster spots to fill, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are two of the best forwards in the NHL. Add in the potential return of Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin sometime next season, and the group even looks more robust.
However, the return of those last two forwards is a big question mark hanging over next season. Nobody knows when (or if) either will be back, and how good they’ll be remains an even bigger mystery. That puts a lot of pressure on the depth forwards going into the 2024-25 campaign, and the guy Colorado may have to lean on in those early stages of the season is Artturi Lehkonen. He’s only entering his third full season with the team, but there are few up front that are more important to Colorado than the 28-year-old Finn.
Avalanche’s Trade for Lehkonen Was a Steal
After playing his first five-plus seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, Lehkonen was dealt to the Avalanche at the 2022 Trade Deadline when Colorado was ramping up for their Stanley Cup run and hoping to add some forward depth. Colorado gave up a second-round pick and defensive prospect Justin Barron; the deal worked out swimmingly for the Avalanche, who won the Cup that spring. Lehkonen played in all 20 playoff games in 2022, scoring eight goals and recording 14 points.
The move worked out pretty well for Lehkonen, too. Along with getting his name engraved on the Stanley Cup, he was rewarded with a five-year, $22.5 million contract extension. He followed that up with the first 20-goal season of his career in 2022-23. He totaled career highs of 21 goals, 30 assists, and 51 points that season, despite playing just 65 games. He was on track to obliterate those numbers last season, but suffered a nasty injury early in the season that knocked him out long term.
Related: Canadiens Trading Lehkonen to Avalanche Saved His Career
Lehkonen returned after missing a chunk of games and managed to record 11 points in 11 playoff games this postseason. Not all trades work out, of course, but this one certainly did for Colorado. The draft pick the Avs sent to Montreal was a second-rounder in this year’s draft, and Barron has played intermittently with the Canadiens since the trade. He’s appeared in 92 games in two-plus seasons in Montreal, scoring 30 points.
Lehkonen Has Some Question Marks
The injury that sidelined Lehkonen for a large chunk of the season came on Nov. 7 after a crushing hit from the Seattle Kraken’s Jamie Oleksiak. Lehkonen missed almost three months, and scored just one point in his first six games back. He emerged as his consistent self after that, and opened the playoffs with a goal in five-straight games. However, now that the season is over, Lehkonen had shoulder surgery, and will likely miss part of the team’s training camp.
How Lehkonen responds to the surgery is arguably the most important aspect of Colorado’s offseason. Anything they get from Landeskog will be welcome, regardless of when he returns. Nichushkin has bigger demons to battle, and may need an indefinite amount of time to sort his personal issues in the NHL’s player assistance program. The surgery is nothing major, and all signs point to him returning to his previous form, but Lehkonen’s consistency is paramount for a team that currently only has six forwards under contract.
Why Lehkonen Is So Important
The versatility Lehkonen brings to the lineup is crucial to Colorado’s success. He spent time playing on each of the top three lines last season. Most importantly, he doesn’t miss a beat when thrown in with MacKinnon and Rantanen. He’s also been a major contributor on the power play, notching 15 goals with the man advantage over the past two seasons. Only Rantanen (27), Nichushkin (26), and MacKinnon (22) have more on the Avalanche over that time.
Along with the unknowns around Landeskog and Nichushkin, there are other uncertainties around the offense in Colorado. The obvious superstar pieces are still in place, but Rantanen’s contract extension looms as he enters the final year of his deal. Will the team be able to bring back Casey Mittelstadt? Will some other pieces get traded? Will they be able to afford to extend Jonathan Drouin after his breakout season? Most of those things will likely need to be addressed before July 1.
This time of year, every NHL team is worrying about depth. Colorado has put together some good memories over the past few years and want to keep that momentum going. The salary cap may be their biggest adversary right now, but there are still plenty of pieces that remain to keep the Avs competitive. One of the most crucial pieces is that of Lehkonen. Unless there is a big signing or other major move coming, Lehkonen will start the season in one of those crucial top-six wing spots – and maybe even on the top line with MacKinnon and Rantanen. They Avalanche lost him for a chunk last season, and it hurt them. That makes it imperative that he be ready to roll at the start of 2024-25 – since he will be what holds the versatility of the top six together until some other players return.
