Avalanche Forward Artturi Lehkonen To Make Season Debut Against The Kraken

Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen has been sidelined after receiving offseason shoulder surgery and will make his season debut on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken.

The Avalanche have been the most banged-up team to start the 2024-25 season, dealing with injuries to Lehkonen, Gabriel Landeskog, Jonathan Drouin, Ross Colton, Miles Wood and the absence of Valeri Nichushkin. The injuries have affected their forward group so greatly that defenseman Oliver Kylington played as a forward against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He finished as a -2 in 5:31 of ice time in his first game as a forward.

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The Avalanche acquired Lehkonen from the Montreal Canadiens ahead of their Stanley Cup triumph in the 2021-22 season. His arrival made a huge impact as he contributed offensively while being a pest on the forecheck and defensively responsible.

The 29-year-old wasn't much of an offensive threat during his tenure with the Canadiens, serving more as a third-line winger, but his time with the Avalanche has seen him bring that aspect of his game to a new level. In his first full season with the Avalanche, he set new career highs in goals (21) and points (51) in just 64 games.

The Piikkio, FIN native's return to the lineup will increase the difficulty of the Kraken's task in taking down the Avalanche. The Avalanche have struggled to find the results they would like, but they've still been a potent offensive team without Lehkonen, and his return will boost their overall play.

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