A look at Artturi Lehkonen's impact on the Colorado Avalanche

When the Colorado Avalanche acquired Artturi Lehkonen from the Montreal Canadiens on March 21st, most people expected him to be a depth piece for their bottom six forward group.

Instead, Avalanche Head Coach has inserted Lehkonen on the second line with Mikko Rantanen and Andre Burakovsky and they've proved to be one of the most consistent lines down the stretch and in the playoffs thus far.

Lehkonen has made a massive impact on Colorado's lineup, putting up eleven points in fourteen playoff games and nine points in sixteen regular season games.

Last night, the 26-year-old scored the Western Conference Final clinching goal in overtime for the second consecutive year. Yes, Montreal isn't in the Western Conference, but due to the playoff format in 2021, they competed in and won the Clarence Campbell Bowl. Lehkonen scored in Game 6 last year against Vegas to send the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final.

Why worry when you've got Artturi. 🤷

For the second straight year, Artturi Lehkonen sends his team to the #StanleyCup Final! 🚨@Avalanche | #GoAvsGo | @NHL pic.twitter.com/w3X3f081lp— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 7, 2022

After the game, Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon spoke about how important Artturi Lehkonen has been for his team.

«I'd trade 10 first rounders for him right now»

Nathan MacKinnon on Artturi Lehkonen scoring the overtime game winner: pic.twitter.com/eNrhpVNobo— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 7, 2022

The Piikkio (Finland) native is set to become a restricted free agent this summer and given the impact he's had on the Avalanche's playoff run, could he be the target of an offer sheet? It's entirely possible. Any team would love to have a player like Lehkonen on their roster. He's a guy who gives 110% on the ice, comes up clutch when he's needed most and can slide up and down the lineup.

Although it is possible, it's unlikely he gets signed to an offer sheet given the cap restraints of a lot of teams this summer and the draft pick compensation teams receive for losing a player to an offer sheet. My guess is that Lehkonen signs a two or three-year deal with the Avalanche in the $2.5-3 million range.

There's plenty of hockey left to play for the Avalanche and they're four wins away from hoisting their third Stanley Cup in franchise history. Head Coach Jared Bednar is hoping Lehkonen's play carries over into the Stanley Cup Final and he can provide another heroic moment for the organization.

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