The Colorado Avalanche once traded for Artturi Lehkonen because they believed he could help them win the Stanley Cup.
They were right.
Lehkonen did more than help. He scored the goal that sent Colorado to the Stanley Cup Final, then scored the goal that ended it. His name is now permanently attached to the most important moment of the Avalanche’s modern era.
That makes what comes next uncomfortable.
Lehkonen is entering the final year of his contract, and the player Colorado acquired at the 2022 trade deadline is no longer the player the Avalanche would be paying for. He is 31, has a lengthy injury history and plays a style that demands an enormous physical commitment.
When his contract expires next summer, Colorado will have to decide whether it wants to pay for the player he has been — or gamble that he will remain that player deep into his 30s.
The easy answer is to say the Avalanche cannot afford to lose him.
I said exactly that a month ago.
But the more you look at Colorado’s roster, salary-cap situation, Lehkonen’s age and his injury history, the less obvious that answer becomes.
There is no question what Lehkonen means to Colorado. When the Avalanche acquired him from the Montreal Canadiens, they wanted another forward who could make an impact when games became tight and space disappeared.
They got exactly that.
Lehkonen's overtime goal against Edmonton sent Colorado to the Stanley Cup Final. A few weeks later, he scored the championship-clinching goal against Tampa Bay. Those moments alone secured his place in franchise history.
But Lehkonen's value has never been limited to one postseason.
He hunts down loose pucks, battles defensemen around the crease, kills penalties and routinely puts himself in areas where getting hit is simply part of the job. He scored 21 goals and 48 points in 70 games last season, finishing just three points shy of his career high.
There is still plenty of player there. The question is how much longer Colorado can reasonably expect that to be true.
Lehkonen's current contract carries a $4.5 million cap hit, and it has been one of Colorado's better investments.
The next one could be very different.
Lehkonen turns 32 next summer. By then, the Avalanche will be negotiating with a player entering the latter portion of his career rather than a winger entering his prime. His injury history only adds another layer of uncertainty.
Lehkonen underwent shoulder surgery in 2024 and has dealt with a myriad of other injuries throughout his career. To some extent, that comes with the territory.
He is 5-foot-11, but plays like he's 6-foot-11, throwing himself into battles and willingly taking a tumble if it means getting a puck toward the net. He doesn't wait for opportunities to come to him. He creates them in the trenches, where the hits are harder and the bodies are bigger.
That's what makes him so valuable to Colorado, but it's also what makes his age and durability worth watching. Eventually, age catches everyone, and Colorado can't assume Lehkonen will be the exception.
The Avalanche have already moved Valeri Nichushkin, Ross Colton and Jack Drury this offseason.
Those moves were not made because Colorado suddenly stopped valuing useful players. They were made because the salary cap forces difficult choices, and that reality is not going away.
Cale Makar's next contract is looming, and when one of the best defensemen in hockey receives his next deal, Colorado will need enough flexibility to keep the rest of the roster competitive.
Every dollar matters.
If Lehkonen enters free agency and another team offers him four or five years at a significant annual salary, Colorado may have to decide whether that is a contract it can live with.
And it might not be.
That would be incredibly difficult for Avalanche fans.
Lehkonen is beloved for good reason. He has delivered some of the biggest moments in franchise history, and his style makes him exactly the type of player every contender wants.
But there is a difference between wanting a player and wanting the contract that comes with him.
Colorado has another full season to figure this out.
If Lehkonen stays healthy and produces at the same level, perhaps the Avalanche decide they cannot replace what he brings. If his production declines, injuries become a problem or his asking price climbs beyond what Colorado considers reasonable, the answer could be very different.
Maybe the Avalanche don't lose Lehkonen because they stopped believing in him.
Maybe they lose him because they cannot afford to pay for the player they hope he will remain.
And if that happens, it will hurt.
But championship teams eventually have to choose between preserving the past and protecting the future.
For Colorado, that decision could come down to Artturi Lehkonen.
