<p>Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon stated to reporters earlier this week that forward Arturri Lehkonen would not be starting the season in the Avalanche lineup.</p>



<p>Now we have some more clarity on the situation, as John Matisz has reported, Lehkonen underwent off-season shoulder surgery and there is no firm timeline for a return to the lineup yet.</p>



<p>Lehkonen tallied 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points in 45 games while battling injuries. Lehkonen added six goals and 11 points in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff contests.</p>



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nathan MacKinnon said Tuesday that teammate Artturi Lehkonen’s “not starting the season” in the Avalanche lineup. <br><br>Reached out to an Avs spokesperson for an official update:<br><br>Lehkonen, who had offseason shoulder surgery, won’t be a full participant when training camp opens next…</p>— John Matisz (@MatiszJohn) <a href="https://twitter.com/MatiszJohn/status/1834605818299249148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



<p>The Finnish forward battled injuries last season which included an upper-body injury after taking a hard hit by Seattle Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak. That injury kept Lehkonen out of the lineup for some time.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="161"></div>



<p>During the 2022-23 season, Lehkonen notched a career-high 21 goals and 51 points in 64 games. Lehkonen missed 4-6 weeks with a broken finger and underwent surgery which cost him nearly 20 games of action.</p>



<p>The Montreal Canadiens originally selected Lehkonen in the second round, No. 55 overall, of the 2013 NHL Draft. After spending the three years after his selection developing overseas, Lehkonen jumped directly into the Canadiens’ lineup in 2016-17 without playing a single game in the American Hockey League (AHL). </p>



<p>Lehkonen spent parts of six seasons in Montreal to start his career, topping out with 31 points in 82 games with the club in 2018-19. He was instrumental in helping the Canadiens reach the 2021 Stanley Cup Final in Cinderella fashion, scoring in overtime to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights on home ice.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="137"></div>



<p>Throughout his career, Lehkonen has racked up 117 goals and 126 assists for 243 points in 511 career games with the Canadiens and Avalanche.</p>
