Lehkonen's Injury "Pretty Significant", Avalanche Looking At Trade

The Colorado Avalanche have scored 19 goals on their current three-game winning streak. Despite this, however, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman insisted today, on his 32 Thoughts podcast, that the team is in the trade market for some more offense. 

And it all stems from the fact that they stand to be without one of their most consistent forwards, Artturi Lehkonen, for longer than anticipated:

Lehkonen’s father told a Finnish paper it looks like a pretty significant injury, and he’s obviously a very, very critical and important player for them. I think they’re looking for depth scoring. I do. I think they’re just a little worried right now, you take a look at what you have to go through in the Western Conference. 

Lehkonen is on LTIR, and there's no timetable for his return. He had three goals and eight points in 12 games before going down with a neck injury.

The Avs are currently 2nd place in the Central, at 11-5-0 for 22 points. But that leaves them 5th overall in the Conference, and Friedman points specifically at a potential tough out in the playoffs—the defending Stanley Cup champs. 

"I just think Colorado looks at (Vegas) right now and says, 'in a seven-game series, we’re going to have trouble matching up with them'," he said. "That’s what they’re looking for. They make good deals, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they go out to find it.” 

Now, lots of teams would like to add depth scoring, and the Avs have even been mentioned as one of the peripheral suitors for Patrick Kane. 

Colorado is once again without Gabriel Landeskog for the entire season, and Russian prospect Nikolai Kovalenko isn't expected to arrive until late in the season, at least. So it certainly makes sense for them to try to find some extra offense somewhere in the meantime. 

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