It looks like the Colorado Avalanche have taken their last steps towards the trade deadline, and it’s only a short time before the deadline. They got another good forward in the Montreal Canadiens’ Arturi Lehkonen, who was first broken by ESPN’s Kevin Wicks. Khabs will also keep 50% of Lehkonen’s salary.
According to the source, Montreal will retain 50 percent of Arturi Lehkonen’s contract.
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) March 21, 2022
Lehkonen, a 26-year-old winger, is part of the Avalanche as a critical middle six. It will fit perfectly in both the second and third line, however Jared Bednar decided to use it.
He has been called the “Finnish Valery Nichushkin” with his height and playing style, or the diminutive Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen will love another Finnish player who will join him at Mile High City on his way to the Stanley Cup. Lehkonen is likely to join the team for Wednesday’s game at home against the Vancouver Canucks.
This season, he has been the shining star of the Montreal Canadiens’ dark team, excelling both offensively and defensively. His two-sided dominance over the Canadiens will only be further demonstrated in Colorado.
I’m not exaggerating: Lekonen have played almost every game this season, and yet their performance compared to teammates looks like this. pic.twitter.com/M8kaabu2Y4
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 21, 2022
Lehkonen has 13 goals and 16 assists this season for 29 points in 58 games. He is close to having his best season since joining the NHL, just a few points behind his 2018-19 best of 31 points. He is also just five goals behind his 2016/17 season best of 18 goals.
Heading towards the Avalanche is Justin Barron, a young guard who has played a couple of games in the Avalanche uniform this season. Barron was still in development for the Colorado Eagles and wasn’t close to consistently cracking the roster this season. The Habs also receive a 2024 second round pick.
This makes two promising Avs defensive players that the Avs sold out of their farming system, Barron and Drew Helleson. Joe Sakic has played his hand – this season the Avalanche will win or lose if they haven’t already.
The move away from the young defense means that Bowen Byram is gradually getting better in his recovery. This morning he was wearing a regular jersey for morning skiing, but technically he was still on personal leave despite now making contact. But the good news is that he will be back soon, hopefully by the time the playoffs start.
Just minutes after Lekonen’s trade announcement, it was also announced that Andrew Cogliano had been traded to the Aws from the San Jose Sharks, according to Bob McKenzie. Return to Sharks – 2024 fifth round pick.
SJ trades Andrew Cogliano for COL. Details below.
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) March 21, 2022
Kolgiano, 34, is a longtime veteran who has playoff experience that the Avs love. He’s also been doing well since his face-off, with an average winning percentage of 40.3% this season. While it’s certainly not the best, Avs needed to work on it and fill it in, and that’s what Cogliano does.
Andrew Cogliano, acquired by COL, is a deep defense forward and PC specialist. Not sure how much he still has in the tank and if his skating plays a role. Was OP in NHL 13. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/txKDnj4h0p
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 21, 2022
Of course, there is nothing special about Colliano’s movement. When it comes to the playoffs, he will bring experienced leadership and tenacity to the team. It will also provide some PC assistance if needed. Colliano needs to stand out a lot if he wants to be re-signed with the Avs as he is UFA at the end of the season. Colliano is likely to join the team against the Canucks on Wednesday night along with Lehkonen.