The Avalanche's Quiet Superstar Is Making A Very Loud Statement

DENVER — Artturi Lehkonen is in a contract year, and he's subtly — but not so subtly — telling the Colorado Avalanche to send the paperwork.

Lehkonen, 31, would never come out and say it. That's part of what makes him so intriguing.

After another multi-goal performance Saturday night against the Calgary Flames at Ball Arena, Lehkonen finds himself tied for second in the NHL in goals alongside none other than Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl.

Lehkonen is keeping pace with one of the league's most prolific goal scorers. He's also ahead of his own teammate, Nathan MacKinnon, as well as Connor McDavid in the goal column. McDavid, of course, has eight goals and 29 assists, but the company Lehkonen is keeping is impressive nonetheless.

And yet, you wouldn't know it from listening to him.

The Finnish winger is about as humble as they come, often deflecting attention away from his individual accomplishments and toward his teammates, the team's overall performance, or even a fortunate bounce here and there. In that regard, there's something familiar about him. He's reminiscent of MacKinnon, who has never been particularly interested in celebrating his own statistical achievements.

Lehkonen would much rather talk about the hockey than the numbers.

The Hockey News asked Lehkonen what it meant to find himself tied with Draisaitl, one of the biggest names in the sport.

His response? About as humble as you'd expect.

"Not too much, to be honest. I mean, there's still a lot of season left'" he stated after the game. "You don't really change your style of play or the way you approach the game just because you've had a good start offensively. I'm just playing the same style of hockey I've always played."

While his name continues to climb the league's scoring leaderboard, the Finnish winger isn't getting caught up in the individual recognition. He isn't changing his game, chasing numbers, or putting too much stock into where he stands among the NHL's best.

He's simply doing what he's always done.

And right now, that's producing at an elite level.

Through 14 games, Lehkonen has 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points. That's nearly two points per game. If he maintained that production over an 84-game season, he'd finish with 72 goals, 90 assists, and 162 points.

Obviously, sustaining that kind of production over an entire season is an entirely different challenge. But the numbers illustrate just how extraordinary Lehkonen's start has been. A 72-goal pace would put him among the NHL's most prolific goal scorers, and it's not exactly the kind of production anyone expected from the Finnish winger entering the season.

Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar certainly isn't dismissing the possibility.

When asked whether he thought Lehkonen could sustain his current pace, Bednar pointed to the habits that have made the winger so effective.

"I don't know, a long time, but I think it could go a long time," Bednar said. "He just keeps doing the right things, going to the right areas of the ice, almost had another one tonight. He's playing the right way and playing hard, and you see, he gets rewarded for going to the net, stopping at the net."

Bednar isn't suggesting Lehkonen is suddenly doing something entirely different offensively. Rather, he's continuing to do the things that have made him such a valuable player in Colorado. He wins battles, gets to the difficult areas of the ice, establishes himself around the net, and makes life uncomfortable for opposing goaltenders and defensemen.

And that's perhaps the most encouraging part for Colorado. Lehkonen isn't relying on a complete change in his game to generate offense. He's being rewarded for doing what his coaches have always asked of him.

Bednar's assessment was simple: "He just keeps doing the right things."

For a player whose value has always extended beyond the scoresheet, the offensive explosion is an added bonus.

Lehkonen is someone the Avalanche can trust in virtually every situation. He can contribute on the power play, play responsibly defensively, get to the difficult areas of the ice, and deliver when the stakes are highest. His playoff experience and willingness to do the dirty work have made him an important part of Colorado's identity.

That's what makes his contract situation so intriguing.

Colorado knows what it has in Lehkonen. He's been an important piece of the team's success, and his ability to produce offensively while maintaining the hard-nosed, responsible style that has defined his game makes him especially valuable.

Now, with his offensive numbers putting him alongside some of the NHL's biggest stars, the conversation surrounding his next contract becomes even more interesting.

Lehkonen isn't going to make a public pitch for himself. He doesn't need to.

The production is speaking for itself. And if his latest stretch is any indication, the Avalanche have another pretty compelling reason to get that paperwork moving.