Veteran Avalanche winger to miss 'weeks' with injury

Lehkonen, 28, suffered the injury midway through Thursday’s game against the Seattle Kraken when he went crashing head first into the boards after a collision with Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak. 

Lehkonen was taken to the hospital as a precaution, but a statement from the Avalanche shortly after confirmed that he was alert, responsive, and had full mobility. Bednar confirmed on Saturday that Lehkonen’s injury wasn’t a head injury.

Lehkonen was off to a productive start to the season with three goals and five assists for eight points in 12 games. It’s a level of production that Lehkonen has managed to elevate to since joining the Avalanche in 2022, as he has produced at a 60-point pace. 

He’s also been one of the better play-driving forwards in the league in the past few seasons, with a 53.92% 5v5 expected goal share that ranks 63rd in the league among forwards with 2000 minutes of ice time in that span.

Lehkonen was a former second-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2013 NHL Draft, and spent parts of six seasons with the Habs until he was dealt to the Avalanche at the 2022 trade deadline for Justin Barron and a second-round pick. 

He then went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche that season, and signed a five-year contract with a $4.5M cap hit that offseason, a deal that he is currently in the second year of.

While Valeri Nichushkin and Ryan Johansen appeared to get the most ice time in Lehkonen’s spot on the top line alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, it appears that Jonathan Drouin will take Lehkonen’s place on that line heading into Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues, a line that has outscored opponents 3-1 and has a 47.57% expected goal share in 77:17 of ice-time this season. Drouin has one assist in 10 games this season with the Avs.

Bednar also announced that Andrew Cogliano will miss Saturday’s game against the Blues, as he is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.