Artturi Lehkonen's next contract just turned into the biggest question mark on the Colorado Avalanche.
This summer, Colorado locked up Cale Makar with an eight-year extension worth $163.2 million, a deal carrying a $20.4 million cap hit starting in 2027-28.
Lehkonen is entering the final season of his current deal at a $4.5 million cap hit. He can hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2027.
That timing puts him on a collision course with Makar's new money.
Nathan MacKinnon already carries a $12.6 million cap hit of his own. Colorado finished last season 55-16-11 with 121 points, first overall in the league.
Lehkonen was part of that push. He put up 21 goals and 27 assists for 48 points across 70 games, then added three goals and three assists over 11 playoff games.
He plays wing next to elite talent, kills penalties, and doesn't need the puck on his stick every shift to matter.
Why Colorado can't afford to get this one wrong
Is he replaceable? Not really. Not for what he costs.
My take on this: Colorado should try to keep Lehkonen. But only at the right price.
Somewhere around $5 million to $5.5 million a year still works. Push past $6.5 million with term attached, and the math around Makar and MacKinnon starts getting tight.
Signing him at the wrong number would be like buying a bigger house you can't furnish. The space is there. The flexibility isn't.
Head coach Jared Bednar has built this roster around depth players who do more than one job. Lehkonen is exactly that type.
Nothing here means Colorado is shopping him. There's no indication of that anywhere.
But if extension talks stall into next summer, a $4.5 million winger with a Stanley Cup-clinching goal on his résumé becomes very interesting to teams chasing a title.
-
Makar got paid. Now the Avalanche have to figure out what that means for everybody else in that room.
Should the Avalanche pay Artturi Lehkonen top dollar even after the Makar extension?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Connor Hellebuyck-to-Oilers trade proposal sparks major debate
