The Avalanche got the big one done with Cale Makar. That record-setting eight-year extension at $20.4MM per season took care of the most pressing piece of business in Colorado’s summer, but it also left a tougher negotiation sitting right behind it.
That’s Artturi Lehkonen.
Lehkonen is headed into the final year of his contract and will be eligible to reach unrestricted free agency next summer. Since arriving from Montreal in 2022, he’s become exactly the kind of player teams hate to lose: productive, dependable, and useful in every zone.
He has scored 20 goals in three of his four full seasons with the Avalanche, and in the one season he fell short, he still managed 16 goals in just 45 games before injuries cut that campaign short. Add in his work as a strong defensive winger, and it’s easy to see why he’d draw plenty of attention on the open market.
For the upcoming season, Lehkonen carries a $4.5MM cap hit, which is well below what his next deal could cost. AFP Analytics projects his next contract at five years with a salary a little under $8.7MM per season. That kind of number reflects his value, but it also puts Colorado in a tight spot, especially with Lehkonen having missed at least 12 games in four straight seasons.
The Avalanche would like to keep him, but the math is ugly. If the projected $113.5MM upper limit for 2027-28 holds, PuckPedia has Colorado with about $11.6MM in cap room.
That figure could shrink further because of potential bonuses for Brent Burns this season, who can earn as much as $2.15MM based on games played and ice time. Since the Avalanche are already tight to the cap ceiling for 2025-26, much of whatever Burns earns would roll over and hit next year’s books.
And Lehkonen isn’t the only piece Colorado has to worry about fitting in. The Avalanche also have other roster spots to fill, including possible replacements for pending UFAs Scott Wedgewood and Nicolas Roy. Even if those openings were filled by minimum-salary players, up to $900K for 2027-28, that still wouldn’t leave enough room for Lehkonen at the projected price.
Could he take less to stay? Sure.
But this is also the one real chance for him to land a major payday, and he’ll turn 32 in early July. If he wants to maximize that opportunity, it becomes hard to imagine the Avalanche matching it.
Joe Sakic addressed the situation on Altitude Sports Radio earlier this week and said there’s no urgency here the way there was with Makar. He said the team will stay in touch once the season starts. Still, unless the roster and cap picture changes in a meaningful way, all signs point to Lehkonen playing out what looks like his final season in Colorado.
In Other News...
Avalanche Under-25 Rankings Just Sparked A New Future Core Debate
A fresh under-25 ranking around the Avalanche has turned into a useful snapshot of where the organization sees its next wave of talent. Mile High Hockey staff members teamed up to sort the clubs top 25 players under the age of 25 as of Sept. 1, 2026, with goaltender Ilya Nabokov landing at No. 1 and a couple of young names drawing extra attention for climbing the board. Christian Humphreys and Francesco DellElce stood out as the biggest risers, which is exactly the kind of movement that tends to get a fan base talking about who might matter most a year or two down the road.
The conversation did not stop with the list itself. A social-media fan poll added another layer by gauging how supporters felt about the rankings, and the biggest reactions clustered around Tory Pitner and Axel Eloffson. For a team trying to map out its future core, those responses are part of the point: the Avalanches next group of contributors is still taking shape, and the debate over who belongs where is already lively enough to spill beyond the staff room. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Still Have One Blue Line Question To Solve
With training camp and the new season drawing closer, one of Colorados quieter offseason questions is whether Nick Blankenburg fits back into the picture on the blue line. The defenseman joined the Avalanche last season and, for a team that is always trying to balance depth, flexibility and cap space, he represents the kind of low-cost option that can matter more than it first appears.
The catch is that the Avalanche are working with limited salary cap room, so even a modest move has to be fit in carefully. A Professional Tryout deal or a league-minimum contract would be the simplest path if Colorado wants to keep Blankenburg around, but the roster math still has to work out first, which leaves one more item on the offseason checklist before the back end feels settled. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Face A Bigger Question Than Cale Makars Payday
Cale Makars next payday is the kind of number that can reshape the Avalanches books, but it is not really the hardest part of the conversation in Denver. Around the NHL, the lesson is familiar by now: elite players are worth elite money, yet winning teams still have to survive the cap with enough room left for the rest of the roster to function. The sport keeps proving that stars can drive a contender, but they cannot carry one alone.
For Colorado, that is where the real pressure starts. Paying a player at the very top of the market is one thing, but building a lineup with enough depth, reliable role players and balance around him is another challenge entirely. The highest-paid player in hockey does not automatically lift the Stanley Cup, and the Avalanche know the harder question is not just what Makar costs, but how the rest of the roster gets built around him. [Read more 🡒]