Artturi Lehkonen remains pesky and persistent in his third full season with the Colorado Avalanche reaching new career highs in his tenth NHL season.
Lehkonen, typically bouncing between first and second lines, spent majority of the season on the top line alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantenen until February, when Martin Necas replaced Rantanen in a series of trades that sent Rantanen to Dallas. Part of Lehkonen's appeal is his diverse play and ability to adapt to multiple different line combinations while still producing.
Drafted in 2013, the 29-year old Finland native went 55th overall to the Montreal Candiens, selected as the 25th pick of the 2nd round. Lehkonen played six seasons in Montreal before Colorado acquired the forward at the trade deadline in March of 2022. He went on to win his first Stanley Cup later that season, cementing his legacy with the team and Avs fans after scoring the game winning goal in overtime against Edmonton to send Colorado to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2001. This was just the 2nd overtime goal of Lehkonen's playoff career.
Since his big moment in Alberta, Lehkonen has proven himself to be a solid and consistent contributor on the ice, both on the score sheet and off it. He's known for his ability to apply pressure in every zone and bring a buzz to his linemates. In the 2022 cup run, Lehkonen coined the term "pesky Avs" to him and his teammates for their unwavering prowess in grinding down on opponents and unnerve them. Lehkonen's peskiness followed him into the 2024-25 season and contributed to the many personal career highs he set this season.
Lehkonen came off the season with 69 games played, totaling 45 points (27G, 18A) and finishing the season with a new plus-minus high of +36. He got his second highest points recorded in a season after the 2022-23 season (51 points), and had a career high in game winning goals with 5. He recorded 148 total shots and averaged 20:23 minutes a game. On the other hand, he also reached another high in PIM at 34 minutes, the most he's had since joining the league in 2016-17, and only contributed 5 points on the power play all season, a big drop from his previous seasons 12 points.
In Colorado's far too short playoff run this season, Lehkonen had three goals and one assist, totaling four points in just seven games. His +/- rating for the post season came out to a solid +3.
In February, Lehkonen suited up for Finland in the Four Nations Tournament, a big excitement and honor for him to represent his home country against the best players, even with the team's disheartening two points and one overtime win in the tournament. Lehkonen finished the tournament with a lone assist and a -2 rating.
Grade: A -
Lehkonen's stats on the season reflect his reliable play and solid contribution, and he remained as the face of the "pesky Avs" narrative all season long. Despite some struggles in the penalty box and on the power play, he stuck to his well known and efficient style of play, and brought a much needed energy to the top line.
Lehkonen is currently signed to a 5-year contract through the end of the 2026-27 season when he will become a UFA. As Colorado navigates their salary cap situation, Avs fans should know that Lehkonen's contract values at $22.5 million with a cap hit of $4,500,000 each season.