Avalanche activate Artturi Lehknoen from injured reserve

Some reinforcements are coming to the Colorado Avalanche.

On Sunday, the team announced it had activated forward Artturi Lehknoen from injured reserve. The 29-year-old has been recovering from shoulder surgery he had performed this past offseason, which has kept him out of the team’s first 12 games of the 2024-25 campaign.

Last week, head coach Jared Bednar told the media that the expectation is that Lehkonen will be back in the lineup for the Avalanche’s game on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken.

Lehkonen has been an impact player since he was acquired by the Avs in March 2022. His two-way play has been crucial to the team’s success over the past three postseasons, including scoring big goals as the team went on to win the Stanley Cup two years ago. This season, the Avalanche have had a sluggish start, winning just five of their first 12 contests, averaging a little over three goals per game.

In 2023-24, Lehkonen’s third season with Colorado, he scored 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points in just 45 games. The Finnish winger missed over a month with a neck injury and a few games due to illness late in the regular season. He was able to come out and pot six goals and five assists for 11 points during 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games last spring.

It was a down year compared to the season before, as Lehkonen posted career highs in goals (21) and points (51) in 64 games during the 2022-23 campaign.

Lehkonen is in the third season of his five-year contract that he signed with the Avs in July 2022. The deal carries a $4.5 million cap hit through the 2026-27 campaign.

In 521 NHL appearances, the Piikkio native has scored 117 goals and 126 assists for 243 points. Lehkonen has also played in 71 postseason games, scoring 23 goals and 20 assists for 43 points.