Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen left Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken following a scary collision with Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak that sent Lehkonen crashing head-first into the boards.
The Athletic's Peter Baugh reported that Lehkonen is responsive, alert and has full mobility, and his trip to the hospital is a precaution.
Lehkonen has registered three goals and four assists for seven points in 11 games so far in the 2023-24 campaign. Last season, the Fin notched a career-high 21 goals and 51 points in 64 games. Lehkonen missed time with a broken finger last season.
The Montreal Canadiens originally selected Lehkonen in the second round (No. 55 overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft. After spending the three years developing overseas, Lehkonen jumped directly into the Canadiens’ lineup in 2016-17 without playing a single game in the American Hockey League. Lehkonen spent parts of six seasons in Montreal, topping out with 31 points in 82 games with the club in 2018-19. He was instrumental in the Canadiens reaching the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
Through 487 career games with the Canadiens and Avalanche, Lehkonen has collected 104 goals and 112 assists for 216 points. He’s added 17 goals and 32 points in 60 games spread over four playoff runs.
The Avalanche will play the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
More must-reads: