Surprising Admission From Avalanche On Status of Artturi Lehkonen

It was only last week that we got confirmation that Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen would not be a full participant in training camp, and in addition, superstar forward Nathan MacKinnon said that Lehkonen was “not starting the season” in the Avalanche lineup.

But on Sunday, head coach Jared Bednar dropped a surprising tidbit on us, revealing that he has not ruled out Lehkonen for opening night.

#Avs coach Jared Bednar hasn’t ruled Artturi Lehkonen out for opening night, but he is planning to not have him until he gets cleared for contact and some practices in. Said it could be close for getting him back by then.
— Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) September 22, 2024

Corey Masisak of the Denver Post reports Bednar saying that while he doesn't plan on having Lehkonen be available during the preseason, it will depend on when he gets cleared for full contact. If the Finnish forward is able to get in some full practices, he might be able to make it back for Oct. 9th, when the Avs open the season in Vegas against the Golden Knights.

The 29-year-old spent the summer recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, and as of nine days ago, the Avalanche said they had no timeline for his return. Sunday's revelation from Bednar represents a positive update.

Lehkonen followed up his first 20-goal season in 2022-23 with an injury-riddled campaign last year, finishing with 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points in 45 games. He added 11 points in 11 playoff games for a strong finish to the season.