Jared Bednar confirms major Artturi Lehkonen injury update for the Avalanche
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Artturi Lehkonen is out for Anaheim on Wednesday, and Jared Bednar admitting it's «some time» hits the Colorado Avalanche right in the top-six.
This is not a depth scratch. Lehkonen is one of Colorado's safest, dirtiest-minute wingers, and you feel it the second the forecheck loses a step.
ESPN already has him listed as out, which lines up with the tone coming out of the room.
Lehkonen's season line sits at 19-23-42, and those points matter, but his real value is how often he starts chaos that turns into a rebound goal.
Colorado is also sitting at 40-10-9, so this is about playoff habits, not survival mode.
The timing is brutal because the Avs are on the road and the schedule doesn't care if you are missing one of your most reliable puck hounds.
Lehkonen also sneaks onto special teams in a way fans forget. Losing his stick work on the penalty kill changes how aggressive the first forward can be.
Bednar now has to pick a replacement for a very specific job. It's not «score some goals,» it's «win the wall, get inside, and make the goalie uncomfortable.»
That can mean sliding Martin Necas up, or it can mean spreading the skill and asking a bottom-six guy to survive tough matchups.
Artturi Lehkonen absence tests Colorado Avalanche depth
Avs fans are confident in this roster, but you still get that uneasy feeling when another key winger gets labeled «out» right before the deadline week.
If Lehkonen misses more than a couple games, the ripple hits Nathan MacKinnon's line first. That unit loses its easiest retrieval option in the corners.
It also nudges the power-play decisions. Colorado's man advantage has already been under the microscope, and a net-front worker being missing does not help.
The cap and roster chess matters too. If this turns into IR time, it could open a short-term recall lane without forcing a panic trade.
Colorado can still win in Anaheim without him, but the style has to tighten. Fewer fly-bys, more puck support, and a quicker shot mentality.
This is the part of the season where contenders prove they can win ugly on the road. Wednesday is another one of those tests.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 3|115 ANSWERS Jared Bednar confirms major Artturi Lehkonen injury update for the Avalanche Will the Colorado Avalanche feel Artturi Lehkonen's absence immediately in Anaheim? | ||
| Yes | 90 | 78.3 % |
| No | 25 | 21.7 % |
| List of polls | ||