With the goal of avoiding another early playoff exit and going after a Stanley Cup, the Colorado Avalanche acquired forward Artturi Lehkonen from the Montreal Canadiens ahead of the NHL trade deadline. In exchange for Lehkonen, the Canadiens received prospect Justin Barron and a second-round pick in 2024.
Below, we take a look at how the trade breaks down for each team.
Colorado Avalanche
After some playoff disappointment, failure really isn’t an option for Colorado. With a lineup stacked with some of the league’s top talent, this is the time for the Avalanche to find some postseason success.
With the hopes of making a deep run, acquiring Lehkonen makes a lot of sense. He was with the Canadiens for their run to the Stanley Cup Final last year and while he may not score a ton of goals, he’s going to be a great secondary piece for the Avalanche. Lehkonen scored 13 goals and 29 points in 58 games with the Canadiens this season before the trade, a pace of 18 goals and 41 points per 82 games. He also plays with a lot of intensity, adds a physical presence and is a strong defensive forward.
Another huge bonus with Lehkonen is his age and contract status. Lehkonen will be due for a new contract this summer but he’ll still be a restricted free agent, meaning he shouldn’t simply be a rental for the Avalanche. Plus, at just 26 years old, Lehkonen should still have a lot of good hockey in him and if Colorado can sign him to a reasonable contract, he could be a long-term fit with the team. You have to imagine an extension would come in quite a bit higher than his current $2.3 million AAV but given what the Avalanche gave up for him, they’ll certainly try to make it work.
Speaking of which, Colorado did give up a lot to get him, verging into overpayment territory. Justin Barron should be a top-four NHL defenseman and the second-round pick that was sent to Montreal with him is nothing to scoff at either. Even though the Avalanche are in win-now mode, there’s a decent chance Barron ends up being more valuable than Lehkonen in the near future.
That said, Lehkonen should be a great fit and even though it took a lot to get him, he’ll be a key piece for their playoff run. The fact that the forward could also potentially remain with Colorado and continue to provide an impact long-term, rather than just as a rental, makes the trade package more justifiable.
Grade: B
Montreal Canadiens
First off, it’ll certainly hurt the Canadiens to lose Lehkonen. He’s been a great defensive forward for the Canadiens and again, given his age and contract status, he’s not someone the Canadiens necessarily had to move.
But this is a really strong return. Justin Barron is still only 20 years old and has already gotten into NHL action. Barron was originally selected 25th overall by the Avalanche in the 2020 NHL Draft and this season, he scored five goals and 20 points in 43 games with the Colorado Eagles, which is pretty excellent AHL production for a young defenseman. Barron should turn into a top-four blue-liner for the Canadiens and can help stabilize the right side of the defense group for a long time to come.
Then getting a second-round pick in addition is a win. The selection is for two years from now, so Montreal will need to wait a little bit to use it to add to their prospect pool. But given how many future assets the Canadiens got back at the deadline, there’s not a huge issue in spacing out the picks between years a little bit.
There certainly should’ve been some hesitation in the decision to move Lehkonen. He could’ve made an impact with the team for many more years. The Canadiens are in no position to compete right now and just getting the assets back to rebuild is the optimal move. Given that Lehkonen is also due for a new contract, capitalizing on his value now rather than locking him into a new deal which will likely come with a size-able raise had to be a key consideration. With the return they got (even if it meant retaining half of Lehkonen’s salary until the end of the year), Montreal walks away with yet another really solid package of future assets at the trade deadline.
Despite losing a two-way player the caliber of Lehkonen, the Canadiens won this trade simply because they certainly accomplished their goal of creating a brighter future and Colorado did not get a slam dunk, this year or in the future.
Grade: A
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