It’s been 172 days since Artturi Lehkonen played in a game for the Colorado Avalanche, but on Tuesday, he’ll make his 2024-25 debut against the Seattle Kraken at Ball Arena.
During a red-hot postseason where he posted 11 points (6g/5a) in 11 games including a goal in each of the first five games, Lehkonen suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery during the off-season.
After a summer of rehab, Lehkonen began getting closer to returning to the lineup, practicing in a non-contact jersey in late September.
As the month of October went on, Lehkonen kept progressing towards making his return, and on Nov. 3, he was activated off Injured Reserve.
Nearly six months after surgery, Lehkonen is back.
“I feel good,” Lehkonen said. “It’s a long recovery but other than that I’m just excited to get back on the ice.”
Lehkonen returns to a team that has been decimated by injuries through the first 12 games of the season, currently playing without Ross Colton, Miles Wood, Jonathan Drouin, and captain Gabriel Landeskog.
With his return, the Avalanche will welcome back a player that has scored at an excellent 61-point pace over an 82-game season since coming to Colorado in addition to an elite two-way forward.
“[He’s] one of our best players,” Nathan MacKinnon said. “Probably our best two-way player.”
Not only are the Avalanche welcoming back an excellent 200-foot player, but a unique player, as evidenced by what his teammates and head coach said about him.
“Just his engine (makes him unique),” MacKinnon said. “He never stops. Forecheck, backcheck, works so hard every shift and has an awesome attitude, never down on himself, competitive and just everything you want in a teammate really, just a perfect teammate.”
Cale Makar gave a defenseman’s perspective on Lehkonen, calling him a “Swiss Army knife.”
“He’s fun,” Makar said. “I love that guy. He can play anywhere for us. And then, like I said, obviously playing power play, key roles, and then [he’s a] huge PK guy as well. [He] can block shots. I think he’s a very underrated guy in the corners, retrieving them for those top guys.”
Additionally, Logan O’Connor called Lehkonen an “energizer bunny” and Mikko Rantanen said his Finnish compatriot is “relentless.”
Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar echoed the words of Lehkonen’s teammates, calling him a “puck hound” and highlighting his hockey IQ.
“He’s a playmaker in his own way,” Bednar said. “And often times it’s just winning the 50/50 touches and he’s tenacious on pucks so when he wins those touches good things happen.”
Lehkonen has been an impactful player for the Avalanche since they acquired him on March 21, 2022, and his return provides a massive boost to the Avalanche as they begin the second month of the regular season.
