As Artturi Lehkonen nears a return, the Avalanche needs his all-around impact
Valeri Nichushkin is a unique player in the NHL, someone a teammate referred to as “one of one” and whose coach said cannot be replaced.
There are a few guys in the league who are somewhat similar, and might be able to pull off a reasonable impression. One of them is Artturi Lehkonen, and he’s about to return to the Colorado Avalanche lineup.
Lehkonen has missed the past 35 games because of a neck injury sustained after a scary collision with the end boards against the Seattle Kraken. He’s been skating and practicing over the past couple of weeks, and it appears there’s a good chance he’ll be back Wednesday night for Colorado against the Washington Capitals.
“It’s huge for our team,” Avs forward Andrew Cogliano said after practice Monday. “He’s such an important part of what we’ve got going on here. He encompasses kind of what our team is about in terms of work and playing on both sides of the puck. He just does it all. Just a huge addition. Having him out for this long has been some tough minutes to fill. He’s a phenomenal player, a great guy, great teammate and a guy you want when crunch time comes.”
Lehkonen was a breakout player for the Avs after arriving before the 2022 trade deadline from Montreal and then helping the club win the Stanley Cup.
He had his best offensive season last year, with career bests in goals (21) and points (51).
He also had three goals and eight points in 12 games to start this season. Lehkonen has consistently played on one of the top two forward lines while also being a fixture on both special teams units.
“Very important, definitely one of our best players,” Nathan Mackinnon said. “He’s awesome. Especially with Val being gone, it’s nice to have a player like (Lehkonen) coming back.”
Lehkonen began the year as the net-front guy on the top power-play unit. Nichushkin took over after the injury, and had the greatest stretch of production in his NHL career before leaving the team to enter the NHL/ NHLPA Players Assistance Program.
Getting Lehkonen back will help fill some of that void. He skated with Ryan Johansen and Cogliano at practice Monday, but Nichushkin could join that line once he returns.
Assistant coach Nolan Pratt said the Avs could try to ease him back into things once he returns, but it’s clear that Colorado needs Lehkonen in all of the areas that he can help in.
“It is probably ideal to have them both on the same line, if possible, because those guys could carry a line by themselves,” Cogliano said. “Obviously, we’re in the situation that we’re in and just getting (Lehkonen) back is a big boost for us before the break. Having him come back, feel good, get back in the rhythm of things and pick up where he’s left off and just do what he does. I think we just need what he brings, and I think he brings a lot.