Heading into the summer, there were two prominent pending unrestricted free agents that Avalanche GM Joe Sakic had to contend with in terms of working on extensions. By now, we all know what happened with one of them as Cale Makar signed a record-setting eight-year extension worth $20.4MM per season.
That was justifiably the priority and they got it done.
However, doing so made it a lot more difficult to get the other player extended. That would be winger Artturi Lehkonen, who is eligible to hit the open market for the first time this summer.
Since being acquired from Montreal back in 2022, Lehkonen has found another level offensively, reaching the 20-goal mark in three of his four full seasons with Colorado. In the one he didn’t get there, he had 16 in just 45 games and clearly would have hit the mark had he stayed healthy.
Couple that with him being a valuable defensive player and you have someone who should be in high demand next summer.
Lehkonen will carry a $4.5MM cap charge for the upcoming season, one that’s well below market value now. For context, AFP Analytics projects that Lehkonen’s next deal could check in at five years at a little under $8.7MM per season.
While he has had some challenges staying healthy (he has missed at least 12 games in four straight years), he’s still likely to be one of the more consistent two-way players to reach unrestricted free agency next summer.
There’s no doubt that Colorado would love to keep Lehkonen in the fold. Affording him, however, is a whole other challenge.
If the $113.5MM projected Upper Limit for 2027-28 holds true, the Avs have around $11.6MM in cap room, per PuckPedia. However, that amount will likely be reduced somewhat by bonuses that Brent Burns earns this season; he has up to $2.15MM based on games played and ice time.
With the team being tight to the cap ceiling for 2025-26, most of what Burns earns will roll over and count on next year’s cap.
There’s also the matter that the Avalanche need to fit several players into that limited cap space. Even if their other roster vacancies (including potential replacements for pending UFAs Scott Wedgewood and Nicolas Roy, quality pieces themselves) were to be filled by players making the league minimum (up to $900K for 2027-28), that wouldn’t leave enough to fit Lehkonen at his projected salary.
While it’s possible that he could take a bit less to stick around, his next contract will be his one and only chance to really cash in on a big-ticket deal as he’ll turn 32 in early July. It certainly would be understandable if he wants to look at top dollar but if that’s the case, it will be very difficult for that contract to come with the Avalanche.
Speaking with Altitude Sports Radio earlier this week (audio link), Sakic noted that there is no urgency to get something done as there was with Makar and that they’ll keep in communication once the season gets underway. But as things stand, unless something else happens roster-wise that allows Colorado to open up some more cap room, it certainly looks like Lehkonen is entering his final season with them.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect.