How Artturi Lehkonen has become secret weapon for Colorado Avalanche

In the midst of a career year Artturi Lehkonen is proving his worth for the Colorado Avalanche.

Colorado Avalanche v New York Islanders
Colorado Avalanche v New York Islanders | Bruce Bennett/GettyImages

It has been a little over a week since the Mikko Rantanen trade that rocked the NHL landscape. Avalanche fans, myself included, may have needed a moment to adjust to our new reality. The trade itself could come to define General Manager Chris MacFarland's tenure.

With big swings, expectations are bound to shift. Even as the new additions to the team, Martin Necas and Jack Drury, have seemed to be immediate fits, the loss of an all-world talent the likes of Mikko Rantanten will sting.

But for a team with championship aspirations like the Avalanche, there is no time to get distracted feeling sentimental. The club's leaders have to do the work to set the right example. Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and newly-minted alternate captain Devon Towes do plenty of that, as you might assume.

However, beyond the players who wear an extra letter on their sweaters, the Avalanche may need some unexpected leaders to emerge in the void left by Mikko Rantanen's departure.

In the three-game road-trip that followed the trade, the Avalanche fought hard, but lost two of three. The one Avalanche player who shined brightest amidst that adversity in my opinion was Artturi Lehkonen.

Lehknonen tallied goals in all three games against Eastern Conference foes. He scored Colorado's one goal in the 3-1 loss to Boston. Following that up, Lehkonen was fed a vengeful pass from Cale Makar, who was sprung out of the penalty box to stun the Rangers with 15 seconds left and win 5-4. The goal Lehkonen scored against the Islanders was stuffed home in front of the net, after Lehky fell over and had to complete the play sitting on the ice!

This surge in scoring has been building all season for Artturi Lehkonen. The score from the seat of his pants against the Islanders actually ties a career-high number at 21. That increase in production as a finisher is even more impressive if you remember #62 started the year on IR for Colorado. Thus far he has suited up in 42 games, just one over half a regular season campaign.

Lehkonen was doubtlessly one of Mikko Rantanen's closest friends on the Avalanche. Aside from Nathan MacKinnon, who was a constant fixture with Rantanen on Colorado's top line, Lehkonen would seem to have the strongest connection.

After all, Rantanen and Lehkonen were the one-two punch of Colorado's Finnish contingent in the locker room. A group that seemed understandably close on the roster, and even after Rantanen's exit still includes forwards Joel Kiviranta, Jusso Parssinen and rookie Jere Innala.

Indeed Lehkonen and Rantanen will be briefly reunited as they are both set to represent Finland in the upcoming Four Nations Face-Off. Lehkonen would be forgiven for missing a friend in Rantanen on the Avalanche, but it seems his game has not missed a beat since the move.

If Lehkonen feels added responsibility to even just the remaining Finns in burgundy and blue, it could be a positive motivating factor for this season and beyond. But judging by his work-ethic, I believe there is another gear to Lehky we haven't quite seen yet.

The eye test was telling me that Lehkonen's clutch ability had maybe reached a new level, so I checked some stats. On top of tying a career-high in goals, Lehkonen also leads the Avalanche with another career-high. He has four game-winning goals. Rantanen had one more, before the trade, and Nathan MacKinnon has one fewer with three.

The other stat Lehkonen leads the Avalanche in is all about efficiency. That is shooting percentage. Lehkonen boasts an impressive 23.6% figure and that's while being fifth on the team in shots on goal with 89. Shooting percentage is a measurement of how many of your shots on goal end up in the back of the net. In this category Lehkonen ranks 5th best in the entire NHL this season.

Lehkonen has always had a knack for scoring important goals. When he came over to the club in 2022, on the run up to the Stanley Cup win, Lehkonen sealed both the Western Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals wins. First in OT fashion over Edmonton, and then ultimately to win it all over Tampa Bay.

Avalanche fans know that Lehkonen has a little something extra in big moments. But this year he is proving that finisher instinct has grown. Somehow, it seems to me that even with increased production, his contributions fly under the radar. Most likely, this is because of Colorado's higher profile stars.

Artturi Lehkonen is effective wherever coach Bednar puts him in the lineup. He's become a bit of a secret weapon for his consistency and hard work. If you need him in the top line, he's good. If you need him for stability on the second line, he's good. On the power play, or in OT, you can count on him.

I'll leave you with one final thought about Artturi Lehkonen. His 2022 acquisition is the perfect template for something the front office may be cooking for the deadline. In 2022 the Avalanche sneakily fleeced Montreal. They traded Justin Barron (a defensive prospect) and a second round pick for the guy that sealed a Cup win.

Don't overthink it, but as part of the Rantanen trade, Colorado picked up an extra second rounder, and they have a decent chip in left side defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev parked in Russia. If a comparable offer comes their way, look for the Avalanche to make another splash that the league may not see coming.

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