Revisiting the Canadiens’ Artturi Lehkonen Trade

Instead, they chose to move Lehkonen to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for prospect Justin Barron and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. It was a somewhat controversial trade at the time: The value seemed fair — especially considering Barron was a first-round pick in the 2020 Draft, a right-shot defenseman, and is a great skater — but Lehkonen was just 26 years old at the time, a terrific penalty killer and defensive winger, and was also recording exactly half a point per game.

Many were divided on whether it made sense to move Lehkonen, but with the Canadiens on the cusp of what they believed would be a lengthy rebuild, Hughes decided to move him when he received a package he felt was fair.

Early Returns Go In Favor of Avalanche

Lehkonen really clicked as soon as he arrived in Colorado. He stepped into a top-six role on a great team and helped them win the Stanley Cup by recording eight goals and 14 points in 20 playoff games. He then set career highs in 2022-23 when he recorded 21 goals and 51 points, even though he played just 64 games.

Suddenly, instead of being the third-line penalty-killing winger he was with the Canadiens, the Piikkio, Finland native proved he could play on the top line on a Stanley Cup-winning lineup. His contract extension of five years with a cap hit of $4.5 million did not seem like an overpay.

Meanwhile, Barron played well for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL), recording 16 points in 25 games in the 2022-23 season and adding another 15 points in 39 NHL games. He looked like a solid prospect for sure, but Lehkonen was the cherry on top of a Stanley-Cup-winning sundae in Denver.

Canadiens Move Barron and Second-Round Pick

Lehkonen continues to play well for the Avalanche, scoring 27 goals two seasons ago and recording 21 goals and 48 points in 70 games in 2025-26, playing a big role on the Presidents’ Trophy-winning roster. There is no question he would be a great fit on the Canadiens’ top six right now had he stayed in Montreal.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens moved on from both pieces they received in the Lehkonen deal. At the 2024 Draft, the Canadiens used a first-round pick they had acquired from the Winnipeg Jets for Sean Monahan, as well as the second-round pick acquired in the Lehkonen trade, to move up and acquire the 21st-overall selection in that year’s draft. They used that pick to select Michael Hage.

After struggling to cement his role early in the 2024-25 season, Barron was traded to the Nashville Predators for Alexandre Carrier. The Quebec City native immediately helped solidify the right side of the Canadiens blue line. There was a lot of promise in Barron, Logan Mailloux, and David Reinbacher at that position, but due to a combination of injury and performance, none of them were ready for a top-four role at the time.

Carrier played a lot of minutes with Mike Matheson as well as on the penalty kill. There is no question he helped the Canadiens make the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, filling a key role that the youngsters in the organization were simply not ready to take on.

The branch of this trade that will bear the most fruit is the Hage acquisition. While he was not selected with the second-round pick acquired directly for Lehkonen, the Canadiens would not have had the ammunition to move up in the 2024 Draft and select the player they desired without that pick.

Without moving up, they may have ended up with a different promising young player. Now, Hage has distanced himself from most prospects in hockey and stands as one of the best young players in the world who has not yet played in the NHL. He was certainly the best prospect taken in the second half of that draft, and belongs to the Canadiens because they had the trade capital to move up.

The Verdict

Initially, the trade value seemed like a win for the Canadiens. They got a lot of future value for a player who only reached the 30-point plateau once. After Lehkonen won a championship and then broke out offensively, it appeared the Avalanche were the big winners. Had the Canadiens kept Barron and used the second-round pick, that probably would have remained the case.

However, they pivoted and moved Barron for a steady defender who has helped them over the past two seasons. They also used the pick as currency to move up and select Hage, who is one of their best prospects right now and could play a huge role on the team for years to come.

The final verdict will not be in on this deal for many years to come. It all depends on how close Hage comes to reaching his potential. Lehkonen would be a great fit on the Canadiens right now, but when you follow all the tentacles this deal ended up having, the Canadiens made the right decisions for the long-term success of the organization.