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Artturi Lehkonen

Central Notes: Barrie, Lehkonen, Fleury

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Over the weekend, news got out that Predators defenseman Tyson Barrie and his camp had been given permission to seek a trade.  Speaking recently with 102.5 The Game (video link), GM Barry Trotz expressed his frustration over the news being leaked and how Barrie himself handled being made a healthy scratch for the first time in his career last weekend.  The 32-year-old has typically been one of the better offensive producers from the blueline in his career with ten straight seasons of at least 38 points.  However, he has been held without a goal and has just ten assists in his first 23 games this season.  Barrie is in the final year of his contract which carries a $4.5MM AAV and with his offensive struggles so far, it might not be a deal that’s easy to move.  Meanwhile, in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link), Pierre LeBrun noted that the Preds aren’t particularly inclined to use their last salary retention slot to help facilitate a swap which will only complicate those attempts further.

More from the Central:

  • Avalanche winger Artturi Lehkonen skated ahead of Colorado’s practice today, relays Corey Masisak of The Denver Post (Twitter link). The 28-year-old has been out for the last month due to a neck injury but was able to shed his neck brace late last month.  There remains no timetable for his return but returning to the ice is at least a step in the right direction.  Lehkonen had three goals and five assists in a dozen games before the injury.
  • Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury remains undecided about his playing future beyond this season, notes John Shipley of the Pioneer Press. The 39-year-old is in his 20th NHL season and second with Minnesota but this one hasn’t gone as well as his first with the team.  Fleury has played in ten games so far heading into tonight’s action, posting a 3.21 GAA with a .884 SV%.  If those hold, it would be the lowest save percentage of his career and his highest GAA since the 2005-06 campaign.  Fleury is in the final year of his contract, one that carries a $3.5MM cap charge.

Snapshots: Korchinski, Lehkonen, Texier

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Chicago Blackhawks rookie Kevin Korchinski won an IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal for Canada last season, but is unlikely to get another chance at glory at this year’s edition of the tournament. As relayed by NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson says his “inclination would be for [Korchinski] to stay” in Chicago, rather than go to the tournament which begins in exactly one month and is set to take place in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Korchinski has, according to Davidson, “been playing really well,” making his fair share of mistakes as well as excellent plays. The former WHL star is currently scoring at a nine-goal, 27-point 82-game pace, although there is hope that those numbers will see an uptick as Korchinski gets more game experience under his belt in the world’s top league. Currently averaging 19:32 time on ice per game, which ranks third on the entire Blackhawks team, Korchinski is believed by many to be a potential top-pairing defenseman for a future contender in Chicago.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar issued an update on the status of injured forward Artturi Lehkonen, according to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. Bednar said that the Avalanche are lucky that Lehkonen’s injury didn’t end up worse, and added that the player is now out of his neck brace and making progress toward a return. No timeline on Lehkonen’s return was provided, though.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier, who missed the team’s last two games due to an illness, will return to the lineup for tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes according to team reporter Jeff Svoboda. The 24-year-old has been solid for the Blue Jackets so far this season after a year spent in the Swiss National League, as he has four goals and seven points in 19 games.

Evening Notes: Lehkonen, Xhekaj, Meier

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Peter Baugh of The Athletic is reporting that Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen’s upper-body injury is a neck injury. Previous reports had the 28-year-old dealing with an upper-body injury, but Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told Baugh the news today. The early reports come with no timetable for a potential return, or any specifics about how severe the ailment is. The Avalanche have put Lehkonen on LTIR which means the earliest he can return is December 5th against the Anaheim Ducks.

Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now is reporting that Lehkonen is currently in a neck brace after suffering a scary fall in a game last week against the Seattle Kraken, which is certainly not a great sign. Lehkonen’s mother has also flown to Colorado which indicates that he could need assistance over the upcoming weeks. Lehkonen is a player who plays a lot of important minutes for the Avalanche in all types of situations. He has three goals and five assists so far this season in 12 games.

In other evening notes:

  • The Montreal Canadiens have announced that defenseman Arber Xhekaj left tonight’s game after suffering an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old suffered the apparent injury after taking a huge hit from Vegas Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev in the second period. Xhekaj appeared to be favoring his left shoulder as he left the ice, but the team has yet to comment on the nature of the injury. Xhekaj scored his first goal of the season earlier this week and has three points in 16 games for the Canadiens.
  • Star-Ledger reporter Ryan Novozinsky tweeted that New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters tonight that Devils forward Timo Meier will be out of the lineup on a short-term basis. What exactly that means remains to be seen but it is probably a safe bet that Meier won’t be in the lineup on Saturday night when the Devils are home to the New York Rangers. The 27-year-old is in his first full year with the Devils and has five goals and six assists in 14 games. He did not dress in tonight’s 5-2 Devils victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Avalanche Issue Injury Updates, Recall Riley Tufte And Caleb Jones

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11/12: Riley Tufte has been re-assigned to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.

11/11: Colorado finds itself down a pair of forwards for tonight’s game against St. Louis as head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding that forwards Artturi Lehkonen and Andrew Cogliano are both out of the lineup.  Lehkonen is expected to miss several weeks with an upper-body injury while Cogliano is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.  In a corresponding move, the team announced (Twitter links) the recall of forward Riley Tufte and defenseman Caleb Jones from AHL Colorado.

Lehkonen suffered the injury after crashing head-first into the boards on Thursday against Seattle.  That said, Bednar clarified that the upper-body issue that the 28-year-old has is not a head injury.

Last season, Lehkonen put up career highs across the board in his first full season with the Avs, notching 21 goals and 30 assists in 64 games while seeing his playing time surpass the 20-minute-a-night mark for the first time.  His numbers are down a bit this year but he still has been an important part of their top six, picking up three goals and five helpers in a dozen contests while logging 18:30 per contest.  There is no firm timeline for how long he will be out for.

As for Cogliano, the 36-year-old has been a regular on Colorado’s fourth line this season and is their second-most used forward on the penalty kill behind Logan O’Connor.  He has three assists in 11 games so far after missing the season opener as he finished recovering from two fractured vertebrae in his neck that occurred during the playoffs last spring.

Jones, meanwhile, signed with Carolina during the offseason but after clearing waivers and being loaned to AHL Colorado, the Avs acquired his NHL rights last month.  This will be his second recall of the season although he didn’t see any action during his first one.  The 26-year-old has 213 career NHL appearances under his belt and has six assists in a dozen games with the Eagles so far this season.

The Avalanche had two open roster spots following Tufte’s paper demotion to the minors yesterday so no corresponding moves needed to be made to add him or Jones onto the active roster.  Speculatively, Lehkonen will likely be heading for injured reserve at some point which would open up another spot on the roster.

Avalanche Issue Several Injury Updates

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Colorado was dealt a serious blow for next season earlier today when it was announced that captain Gabriel Landeskog would miss all of 2023-24 and will be undergoing a cartilage transplant in his surgically-repaired knee.  Speaking with reporters today (video link), GM Chris MacFarland issued several other injury updates.

  • Winger Andrew Cogliano, who suffered a fractured neck in their opening-round loss to Seattle, is not expected to need surgery. The veteran, who also was dealing with an AC sprain, is expected to have a recovery timeline of six-to-eight weeks, meaning he should be fully recovered before reaching unrestricted free agency in July.  The 35-year-old potted ten goals and nine assists in 79 games for the Avs this season.
  • Winger Artturi Lehkonen, who recovered from a broken finger in time for the playoffs, sustained a broken toe during the series against the Kraken. The 27-year-old was able to play through the injury and finished fourth in scoring in the series with three goals and three assists.  Lehkonen, who had a career year during the season with 20 goals and 31 assists, will not suit up at the upcoming World Championship due to the injury.
  • Goaltender Pavel Francouz has undergone surgery to repair an adductor injury but is expected to be fully ready for training camp in the fall. The 32-year-old dealt with lower-body trouble during the season which limited him to just 16 games where he posted a 2.61 GAA and a .915 SV%.
  • Defenseman Josh Manson had a procedure done last week after being sidelined with a lower-body injury of his own during the series. He, too, is expected to be ready in time for training camp.  Manson had an injury-riddled first full campaign with the Avalanche and was limited to just 27 games during the regular season before missing the final two playoff contests.

Central Injury Notes: Marchment, Lehkonen, Helm

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Senior Staff Writer for the Dallas Stars, Mike Heika, is reporting that Mason Marchment will likely return to the Stars’ lineup on Thursday as they take on the St.Louis Blues for their season finale. The Stars have been without Marchment since their March 13th game against the Seattle Kraken.

Aside from their terrific play throughout the regular season, one of the major storylines in Dallas was addressing the second line centered by Tyler Seguin. The team found their answer at the trade deadline, acquiring Max Domi from the Chicago Blackhawks to play with Marchment and Seguin.

Unfortunately for Dallas, they have been unable to see much action with those three on the same line. Since the trade deadline, the Stars have only been able to field a complete second line for three games. Although nothing has been confirmed from the team in regard to his activation, the addition of Marchment back into the lineup will make the Stars an even more difficult team to face in the first round.

As the season comes to a close, Dallas currently sits in second place in the Central Division of the Western Conference. With two games remaining, each against the Blues, Dallas sits one point back of the division-leading Avalanche, who have the same amount of games played.

Other injury updates from the Central Division:

  • Although it has come seldomly this season, the Colorado Avalanche may have a positive injury update before the season is over. Ryan Boulding, a correspondent for the NHL, is reporting that Artturi Lehkonen may be back for the final two games of the regular season. The forward has been out since the team’s March 13th game against the Montreal Canadiens. Even after missing a month of the season, Lehkonen is enjoying a career year in his first full year in Colorado. In 62 games for the Avalanche, the Finnish forward has scored 20 goals and 29 assists. If the Avalanche are to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, Lehkonen will be an important piece to that puzzle.
  • On the negative side of the injury front for Colorado, Ryan Boulding is also reporting that Darren Helm may not be ready for the playoffs. Helm has been injured for most of this year, only suiting up in 11 games for the Avalanche. Although his contributions are low this season, Helm can be an important piece come playoff time. Not a top threat in any lineup, he has scored big game-winning playoff goals, most notably in Game 5 of the 2009 Western Conference Finals, and Game 6 of the 2022 Western Conference semi-finals.

Artturi Lehkonen Out 4-6 Weeks With Broken Finger

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The Colorado Avalanche have been dealing with a plethora of injuries all season, and they just continue to pile up as Artturi Lehkonen will be out of the lineup long term. Peter Baugh of The Athetic reported Lehkonen broke his finger and would require surgery. Head Coach Jared Bednar was on Vic Lombardi’s Altitude Sports Radio show this morning and confirmed it would be a 4-6 week absence.

The Avalanche crushed the Montreal Canadiens 8-4 last night, jumping out to a 3-0 lead before the midway point of the first period. It was a big night for the former Canadiens winger who scored two goals, including the 100th of his career, and added an assist against the team that traded him a year ago. But then he was forced to leave the game with injury.

Lehkonen has fit in perfectly with the Avalanche since being acquired for Justin Barron and a second-round pick. His goals last night brought him to 20 for this first time in his career and he also has a career high 49 points this season in just 62 games. He helped Colorado win the Stanley Cup last spring by playing a terrific defensive game and adding eight goals and 14 points in 20 postseason games.

Lehkonen now joins Gabriel Landeskog, Erik Johnson and Darren Helm on the Avalanche injured reserve. They have fought through all the injuries to sit comfortably in a playoff position today and still have a shot at winning the Central Division.

The playoffs will begin in almost exactly five weeks, which means Lehkonen could still be back for Game 1 of the opening round.

Artturi Lehkonen Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury

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The Colorado Avalanche have announced that Artturi Lehkonen will not return to tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens after leaving with an apparent upper-body injury.

It was quite an eventful night for Lehkonen who was playing in his first game back in Montreal since being traded to Colorado in March of 2022. Lehkonen received a video tribute and a standing ovation from the Montreal crowd, then followed it up by adding two goals and an assist in less than two periods of play. The injury puts a damper on what was an incredible return to Montreal for the former second round pick.

Lehkonen has been red hot as of late with seven points in his past five games. He’s been everything Colorado could have hoped for when they dealt a second-round pick and Justin Barron to Montreal for him just under a year ago. Lehkonen has flourished this season with a career high 49 points in 62 games. This after scoring 14 points in 20 games last postseason in Colorado’s magical run to the Stanley Cup.

Should Lehkonen miss any time it will be a big blow for an Avalanche team that has dealt with a multitude of injuries throughout this season. Colorado is already missing Josh Manson, Gabriel Landeskog, Darren Helm, Erik Johnson, and goaltender Pavel Francouz. Despite the injuries, Colorado has maintained stellar team defense this season as they rank seventh in the league in goals against. The Avalanche currently hold the final wild card spot in the west, but they have struggled as of late having dropped four of their last six games coming into tonight.

Artturi Lehkonen Returning To Colorado Avalanche Lineup

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After suffering a concussion on December 3rd, Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen is expected back in the lineup for this afternoon’s contest on the road in St. Louis against the Blues, says Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Lehkonen was never placed on IR with the injury, missing three games and seven days total. At last report on Thursday, the veteran had been placed in concussion protocol. According to Durando, Lehkonen will skate on the top line this afternoon alongside Mikko Rantanen and Valeri Nichushkin.

Colorado’s injury woes this season have been well reported, the consistent and significant injuries sending the reigning Stanley Cup Champions into a fight for a playoff position even at the one-third mark of the season. After losing Nichushkin for over a month, the team then found out they’d be without perennial Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnon for four weeks, only compounding the issue. Beyond just their stars, which also includes Gabriel Landeskog, who has yet to play this season, Colorado has lost a number of secondary and depth options for small and large portions of the season.

Lehkonen has been one of the bright spots for the Avalanche so far this season, recording seven goals and 11 assists through 22 games, well on his way to a career-year. The team will need him to keep that scoring pace up in order to do their best to navigate other injuries, like MacKinnon’s, but it’s not yet known what sort of lingering effect, if any, will come with the concussion.

Staying on the injury front, Durando adds that Darren Helm and Evan Rodrigues are not yet ready to return to the lineup. Helm, who has yet to play this season, has been close to returning and was even a possibility to play this weekend, but will clearly need to wait a little bit longer to make his season debut. Rodrigues hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury against the Vancouver Canucks back on November 23rd, but had been a bright spot amid the injuries, with nine points in his first 18 games for Colorado.

Colorado Avalanche Recall Brad Hunt

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The Colorado Avalanche continue their daily roster changes, recalling Brad Hunt from the minor leagues. The veteran defenseman (who is no relation to Avalanche forward Dryden Hunt) will slot in on defense while Jacob MacDonald moves back to forward. After clearing waivers, Martin Kaut was sent down to make room.

Hunt, 34, has shown he’s still too good for the minor leagues this year, racking up six goals and 20 points in 22 games. This is his first time playing in the AHL since 2016-17, when he forced his way up to the NHL despite being an undersized, undrafted defenseman. There was no stopping Hunt in the minors; he has 229 career points in 309 AHL games, including 63 goals. Last season with the Vancouver Canucks, he added 17 points in 50 games, showing he could still be a capable offensive piece at the highest level.

This likely won’t be a long-term fix, though, as the Avalanche are close to getting two impact forwards back. Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin are both very close to getting back into the lineup, with the latter even being a game-time decision this evening. The defending champs are just 13-10-1 this season thanks to a huge number of injuries, and will try to start turning the corner as they get players back.

Alexandar Georgiev will get the start against his former team.

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