The Canadiens’ 2022 deadline move sending Artturi Lehkonen to Colorado looked like one of those deals that would be debated for years, and it still is. Montreal was sitting at the bottom of the NHL standings after its surprising run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, so the organization was clearly in sell mode. Ben Chiarot went to the Florida Panthers and Brett Kulak was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers, but Kent Hughes also made a tougher call with a player who was still under team control.
Lehkonen was a pending restricted free agent, so Montreal held his rights and could have matched an offer sheet that summer if it had kept him. Instead, the Canadiens sent him to the Avalanche for prospect Justin Barron and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
At the time, the return looked reasonable enough. Barron had been a first-round pick in the 2020 Draft, was a right-shot defenseman, and skated well.
But Lehkonen was only 26, had become a reliable penalty killer and defensive winger, and was producing at exactly half a point per game.
Colorado wasted no time getting value out of him. Lehkonen jumped into a top-six role and became a major part of the Avalanche’s run to the Stanley Cup, putting up eight goals and 14 points in 20 playoff games.
He followed that with a career year in 2022-23, finishing with 21 goals and 51 points in just 64 games. His five-year extension carrying a $4.5 million cap hit did not look excessive after that.
Barron, meanwhile, gave Montreal a decent start to the haul. He posted 16 points in 25 games for the Laval Rocket in 2022-23 and added 15 points in 39 NHL games.
He looked like a real prospect, but the gap between the two sides of the trade kept widening as Lehkonen kept delivering in Denver. He later scored 27 goals two seasons ago and had 21 goals and 48 points in 70 games in 2025-26, helping the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche.
It’s easy to see why he would fit in Montreal’s top six today.
The Canadiens eventually turned both assets from the deal into other pieces. At the 2024 Draft, they packaged the second-round pick from Colorado with a first-round pick they had previously acquired from the Winnipeg Jets for Sean Monahan to move up and take Michael Hage 21st overall. Hage has since separated himself from most prospects in hockey and is regarded as one of the best young players in the world who has not yet played in the NHL.
Barron also moved on. After having trouble locking down a role early in the 2024-25 season, he was traded to the Nashville Predators for Alexandre Carrier.
The Quebec City native stepped in right away and helped stabilize the right side of the Canadiens blue line. Montreal had plenty of promise there with Barron, Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher, but injuries and performance kept that group from being ready for top-four duty.
Carrier ended up logging heavy minutes with Mike Matheson and on the penalty kill, and his presence helped the Canadiens reach the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
So how should this deal be judged? At first, Montreal looked like it had turned one player into future value.
Then Lehkonen exploded in Colorado and the Avalanche seemed to have the upper hand. If the Canadiens had simply kept Barron and used the draft pick as-is, that likely would still be the case.
But they didn’t stop there. They flipped Barron for a defender who filled an immediate need, and they used the pick to move up for Hage, who may end up being the most important piece of the whole transaction.
Lehkonen would help Montreal right now, no question. Still, when you trace everything this trade became, the Canadiens may have ended up making the right long-term call for the organization.
In Other News...
Canadiens Fans Are About To Get An Emotional Carey Price Moment
Carey Price is headed for a long-awaited recognition stretch this fall, and for Canadiens fans, it figures to be one of those rare moments that feels bigger than a ceremony. On November 9 in Toronto, Price will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, adding another layer to a career that was defined entirely in Montreal, where he spent 15 NHL seasons and set franchise standards for games played and wins by a goaltender.
The emotional homecoming arrives the next night at the Bell Centre, when Price will be honored on the ice before the Canadiens face the Minnesota Wild and his name is added to the teams Ring of Honour. For a fan base that watched him carry the franchise through years of pressure and expectation, it is the kind of tribute that should bring back plenty of memories, and likely a few tears too. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Big Demidov Decision For His Next Leap
Ivan Demidovs next step in Montreal is already getting attention, and not just because the young forward locked in an eight-year, $73.2 million extension after his entry-level deal ran out. A Calder Trophy finalist who has made clear he wants to stay with the Canadiens, Demidov views the club as one that can chase multiple Stanley Cups, which only raises the stakes for how the organization handles his development from here.
The challenge now is figuring out the best way to support that leap in the 2026-27 season, when his role, line placement and linemates could matter as much as his own talent. For a team trying to turn promise into contention, the Demidov decision is less about whether he fits and more about how to put him in position to become the version of himself Montreal expects next. [Read more 🡒]
Drake Batherson Situation In Ottawa Just Got Interesting For Canadiens Fans
With the calendar edging toward mid-September, Ottawas negotiations with winger Drake Batherson have taken on real urgency. He is in the final years of his current deal, and both sides are working toward an eight-year contract that would fit neatly under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement before the window closes on maximizing the term.
If the sides cannot get something done by September 15, the picture gets a lot more complicated for the Senators. Batherson is still not close enough to unrestricted free agency to force a simple wait-and-see approach, which is why a deal may have to be reached now or the situation could shift quickly into trade territory next summer. [Read more 🡒]