With Cale Makar now secured on an eight-year, $163.2 million extension, the next Avalanche contract conversation has turned to a different familiar name: Artturi Lehkonen.
Colorado president of hockey operations and general manager Joe Sakic said Monday on Altitude Sports Radio that talks with Lehkonen may not be wrapped up before the season starts.
“We’ll continue talking with Artturi, his representatives, but it’s one of those things that we start the season and see where that goes,” Sakic said Monday on Altitude Sports Radio.
Those comments came soon after Sakic appeared at a press conference with Makar to discuss the defenseman’s record-setting deal.
Lehkonen is entering the final season of the five-year contract he signed after arriving at the trade deadline and helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022. That deal carries a $4.5 million AAV, and the Finnish winger has spent the last four years making it look like one of Colorado’s better bets.
He has reached the 20-goal mark three times in that span, including a career-best 27 goals in 69 games during the 2024-25 season. His other year on the contract produced 16 goals in just 45 games.
The only real concern around Lehkonen has been whether he can stay on the ice. He played 70 games in the 2025-26 season, the most he has appeared in since joining Colorado, and still missed time in the playoffs. When he returned, he looked as if he was playing through something.
When Lehkonen is available, though, he matters a lot to this team.
He has established himself as one of Colorado’s most reliable left wings and has spent meaningful time next to Nathan MacKinnon on the top line, with Martin Necas and Mikko Rantanen before him.
Since the beginning of the 2022-23 regular season, Lehkonen has averaged 28 goals, 31 assists and 59 points per 82 games played. He also logs important minutes on the penalty kill and gets regular power-play time.
His postseason track record may be even more striking.
Since the start of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Lehkonen has put up 23 goals, 18 assists and 41 points in 56 games. He’s also built a reputation for delivering in the biggest moments, from his series-clinching overtime goal against the Edmonton Oilers in 2022 that sent Colorado to the Stanley Cup Final to the Cup-clinching goal in the next round against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In Other News...
Cale Makar Just Gave Avalanche Fans A Huge Reason To Exhale
Cale Makar gave Avalanche fans a major dose of relief on a day when the focus could have easily stayed on his record-setting new deal. The defenseman signed an NHL-record eight-year, $163.2 million contract to remain in Colorado, a move that only underscored how central he is to the franchises future. Avalanche president Joe Sakic made it clear the team views Makar as indispensable, especially after his absence was felt in the Western Conference Final.
Makar also addressed the upper-body injury he suffered in the playoffs and sounded optimistic about the road ahead. He said he expects to be healthy and ready for training camp, which is exactly the kind of update Colorado wanted after waiting to see how he would recover. For a club that knows how much it missed him in the spring, the contract was a headline, but the health update may have been the bigger reason to breathe easier. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Still Carry One Big Playoff Question After Another Brutal Exit
Nathan MacKinnon again gave Colorado the kind of elite scoring punch that has become the bedrock of the franchise, finishing last season as the teams leader in goals and claiming the Rocket Richard Trophy with 53. The Avalanche also spent the regular season looking every bit like a contender, rolling to the Presidents Trophy and extending their run to nine straight playoff trips, which remains tied for the longest active streak in the NHL.
But the postseason once again left a harsher question hanging over the roster. Colorado was swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals and became only the second team in NHL history to be swept after winning the Presidents Trophy, a reminder that the Avalanche can pile up success before April and still end up with unfinished business when the games tighten up. Even with betting sites expecting them to be back in the mix next season, thats the issue they still have to answer. [Read more 🡒]
Gavin Brindley Just Made Colorados Camp Battle A Lot More Interesting
Gavin Brindley arrived in Colorado with the sort of profile that can make a training camp feel a little less predictable. The 21-year-old forward, acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets, already has 56 NHL games on his rsum from the 2025-26 season, and he managed to turn enough heads along the way to earn a two-year contract extension. For a player still trying to settle into the league, that kind of organizational commitment says plenty about how the Avalanche view his ceiling.
Brindley also showed he can keep contributing after setbacks, which is part of why his roster case is worth watching. After an injury sent him down to the AHL affiliate in Loveland, he still found a way to help in the playoffs, keeping himself in the conversation for a spot with the big club. With camp approaching, the question is less about whether he belongs in the picture and more about how quickly he can make the decision impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]