Avalanche face a dilemma with longtime playoff hero

The Colorado Avalanche know exactly what they have in Artturi Lehkonen. There is no mystery left.

He will chase pucks other forwards give up on. He will take a beating near the crease. Put him beside skilled players and he rarely looks out of place. Then there is his permanent place in franchise history, secured by scoring the goal that won Colorado the Stanley Cup in 2022.

All of that makes Lehkonen easy to appreciate. It does not make his next contract easy to write.

Colorado would be paying for his declining years

Lehkonen turned 31 in July and has one season remaining on a deal that counts $4.5 million against the salary cap. He produced 21 goals and 48 points last season. Good numbers, sure. They are not the kind that should force Colorado into immediately offering another five years.

That is the difficult part.

Lehkonen still plays like someone the Avalanche need. Nobody can promise he will be the same player at 34, 35 or 36. His game requires him to work for nearly everything he gets. There is only so long a body can survive that routine before it starts sending angry letters.

Colorado should want Lehkonen back. It should also be willing to let him leave if the price becomes unreasonable.

The Avalanche cannot keep everyone forever

The Avalanche already made several difficult choices this summer. Valeri Nichushkin, Ross Colton and Jack Drury were traded. Those moves created financial flexibility and helped Colorado keep its defense together, but they also removed useful forwards from the lineup.

Now the temptation will be to view Lehkonen as someone who must stay because so many others are gone.

That would be backward.

Colorado has big contracts throughout its lineup, and Cale Makar’s next deal is lurking in the background. Makar will not be receiving a modest raise and a firm handshake. His extension could change the way the entire roster is built.

Every dollar handed to an aging winger is one that cannot be used elsewhere. This team has already learned how quickly depth disappears when too much money collects near the top of the lineup.

There is no reason to decide now

Lehkonen is not going anywhere this season. The Avalanche can watch him play, see how their younger forwards develop and determine how much room remains once the rest of their business is handled.

Maybe he delivers another strong year and earns a new deal. Fine. Keep the term short and accept that the annual salary may be a little higher.

What Colorado cannot do is turn gratitude into a five-year commitment.

Lehkonen helped deliver the greatest moment in modern Avalanche history. Fans will remember that goal regardless of where he finishes his career. The front office, however, has to separate the player he was during that Cup run from the player he is likely to be near the end of another contract.

That sounds cold. So does getting stuck with an aging forward and no cap room while the Stanley Cup window slams shut.