Avalanche expect Artturi Lehkonen to return to lineup against Kraken on Nov. 5

The Colorado Avalanche should be getting a boost to their lineup next week.

Head Coach Jared Bednar told reporters Thursday that forward Artturi Lehkonen is expected to make his 2024-25 season debut when the Avalanche take on the Seattle Kraken.

Lehkonen underwent off-season shoulder surgery and there was no firm timeline for a return to the lineup yet.

Last season, Lehkonen scored 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points in 45 games while battling injuries. Lehkonen added six goals and 11 points in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff contests.

During the 2022-23 season, Lehkonen notched a career-high 21 goals and 51 points in 64 games.

The Avalanche acquired Lehkonen from the Montreal Canadiens ahead of their 2022 Stanley Cup championship run. In 20 playoff games that spring, the Finnish winger had eight goals and six assists for 14 points.

This will be Lehkonen’s ninth NHL season. Through 521 regular-season games, he has 117 goals and 126 assists for 243 points with the Avalanche and Canadiens.

Lehkonen has 23 goals and 20 assists for 43 points in 71 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Taken by the Canadiens in the second round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Lehkonen spent five seasons playing professionally in Europe, three in his native Finland and two in Sweden.

The Avalanche are 5-6-0 through their first 10 games of the season. After starting the year with four consecutive losses, they responded with five straight wins before losing their last two, including a 5-2 defeat by the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Defenseman Cale Makar has been an offensive machine, scoring four goals and 15 assists for a team-leading 19 points through the team’s first 11 games. Forward Nathan MacKinnon isn’t far behind, producing 18 points with five goals and 13 assists.