Artturi Lehkonen has been ruled out of further play for “weeks” according to the Colorado Avalanche.
Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen out “weeks” after scary collision with end boards https://t.co/bcuEasGlo2
— The Denver Post (@denverpost) November 11, 2023
Artturi Lehkonen Out
Artturi Lehkonen was helped off the ice in Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken. His collision with Kraken defenceman Jamie Oleksiak resulted in Lehkonen falling headfirst into the boards.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar thought the hit was clean at the time and still does.
“I don’t think it’s a penalty,” Bednar said of the play. “I just think it’s the ice that they’re sort of making contact in there, and just the way he goes in, loses his footing and goes in headfirst.”
It’s difficult to win a shoving match with the 6’7″ Oleksiak, especially for a sub-six-foot player like Lehkonen. Lehkonen was fully alert and responsive when he was guided from the ice, and it was confirmed that the injury is not to his head. Beyond that, the injury is only described as “upper body.”
Lehkonen played nine minutes, getting one assist before the injury. He is a top-six player for Colorado, scoring three goals and eight points in the team’s first 12 games. He was lined up with Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon and will be a challenge to replace.
What This Means
In fact, when Bednar was asked how to replace Lehkonen, he replied “You don’t.”
Lehkonen has skated with different linemates this year, including Ryan Johansen and Valeri Nichushkin. He isn’t just a versatile plug-and-play forward, though. The Avalanche were looking for him to build on last season’s breakout performance when he scored 21 goals and 51 points in just 64 games.
Nichushkin seems like the safe bet to step into his spot, but that leaves a gap elsewhere. Jonathan Drouin now has his chance to return to the lineup though he needs to find some kind of production to stick. With Lehkonen’s extended absence, the opportunity is there. They may turn to veteran Tomas Tatar in the short run as well.
Should they falter, the team might be looking for something more permanent. The risk of falling out of a playoff race is slight, but the Western Conference has been particularly chaotic this season. They’ll have to balance that risk with the cost of finding a scorer to fill Lehkonen’s skates.
Main Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
