Confirmed with Link: Artturi Lehkonen (50% Retained) Traded to Colorado for a 2024 2nd Round Pick & Justin Barron

[Lafleurs Guy]

True that on the Hughes point of view, it's the Toffoli trade that makes me cringe more. You had to find a way to get Pelletier, or Zary or Coronato out of the Flames even if it means a worst draft pick.

For Lehky, well I was a fan. Big time. So it frustrates to see him leaving period. Not because I absolutely wanted to keep him. We don't have the team to use him properly. But because.....we are not the team. And when it will come the time to be THE team...we will NEED a Lehky. And maybe more than 1. So because I'm a fan, I guess I would have overrated his return. A 2nd in 2024...is fine in itself. Colorado will still be a top team but at least, we give as many years as we can so that they might not be as dominant. And Barron is a fine prospect. I will say he was not on my list to be drafted. But he surprised me already. I don't believe he's top 2 though. That's pretty much all I said. Which was then intrepreated as...he sucks. But that's our board. lol

So on a Hughes perpective, I thought we had enough at one point to get an A- type of prospect. I don't think we did. Future will tell. I do think Barron could be a solid 4 though.

I think a solid 4 is pretty good. We’ll see. I don’t think we’ll look back on this with regret downloading the line. These are the kinds of moves we need to make now. Painful but it should’ve beedone long ago.

 

[Captain Mountain]

True that on the Hughes point of view, it's the Toffoli trade that makes me cringe more. You had to find a way to get Pelletier, or Zary or Coronato out of the Flames even if it means a worst draft pick.

For Lehky, well I was a fan. Big time. So it frustrates to see him leaving period. Not because I absolutely wanted to keep him. We don't have the team to use him properly. But because.....we are not the team. And when it will come the time to be THE team...we will NEED a Lehky. And maybe more than 1. So because I'm a fan, I guess I would have overrated his return. A 2nd in 2024...is fine in itself. Colorado will still be a top team but at least, we give as many years as we can so that they might not be as dominant. And Barron is a fine prospect. I will say he was not on my list to be drafted. But he surprised me already. I don't believe he's top 2 though. That's pretty much all I said. Which was then intrepreated as...he sucks. But that's our board. lol

So on a Hughes perpective, I thought we had enough at one point to get an A- type of prospect. I don't think we did. Future will tell. I do think Barron could be a solid 4 though.

I don't think there was ever a scenario that Montreal would have been able to get a Pelletier, Zary or Coronato in season. Even if it was straight up. The demand wasn't there unless you ate a chunk of his salary or took a worse contract back (Calgary already has serious cap questions this offseason).

The other thing is that we need to consider the pressure the mess Bergevin left HuGo had on some trades. Even with Toffoli off the books with no long term salary coming back and Lehkonen gone, Montreal's in a pretty terrible position from a cap perspective. If they didn't make those trades then they'd be at the mercy of other teams to be cap compliant for next season. At least now they can negotiate from a better position.

And at the end of the day in moving Toffoli (a player that wont fit Montreal's next potential contending window) and Lehkonen (a player that impedes Montreal's attempt to get a good pick and might not be as effective in Montreal's next potential contending window) they added a 1st, a future 2nd that fills the gap from the desperation Dvorak trade, a well regarded RD prospect and an ok winger prospect. That's not bad. But the focus always needs to be on how you're going to get a guy or guys that will elevate everyone around them. And prospects that project that way almost never get traded, and those that do almost always go for higher-end players.

Who Montreal drafts in the 1st round 2022-2024 will probably be much more important than whoever they return in a trade, since they don't have a truly tantalizing veteran available.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Avs fan stopping by. Thanks for Lehkonen. And thanks to all of you who stopped by the Avs forum with your congratulations and well-wishes. It was a very cool thing to see.

 

[JoelWarlord]

True that on the Hughes point of view, it's the Toffoli trade that makes me cringe more. You had to find a way to get Pelletier, or Zary or Coronato out of the Flames even if it means a worst draft pick.

I really just don't see this as realistic. Toffoli was a key first-line forward to the Canadiens. To a contender he's a pretty generic middle sixer that runs hot and cold, the same way he was every other year in his career except for 20-21. He's just not the type of asset that returns you premium prospects. He was traded for a 2nd + an equivalent prospect to Heineman 2 years ago, the value of his extension increasing the pick from a 2nd to a 1st seems exactly correct.

_________

RE: broader Lehkonen trade, I am a huge Lehkonen fan and I think the "good 3rd liner" meme is underselling him, but it's hard to complain about this trade. The Habs waited for an offer they couldn't refuse and they got one. We had absolutely nothing in the system at RHD and Barron is a really nice piece that could fit very well with any of our LHD prospects in the future, and he's more of a known quantity than getting an actual 1st round pick instead.

 

[Rockomax]

Avs fan stopping by. Thanks for Lehkonen. And thanks to all of you who stopped by the Avs forum with your congratulations and well-wishes. It was a very cool thing to see.

You treat him good, you hear me?

 

[SirClintonPortis]

That x100 million they are not even close to Lehkonen. Lehkonen would have been perfect for the Leafs or Edmonton but the smartest GM snagged him at little cost.


Blake Coleman/Zach Hyman good.

You do know Coleman was a Devil for the first portion of his career? The Devils could have kept him, but his toil would not have done much for the Devils since they have so much go against them. Were the Devils irrational for hanging onto him? Well, had they done so, Coleman would not have won those Cups and built his reputation, for one.
And he's not a Bolt any longer. Grinders are good but they are not to be clung to. Clinging is what Bergevin did.

 

[John Mandalorian]

You treat him good, you hear me?

Ha ha. I'll do my best.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

I really just don't see this as realistic. Toffoli was a key first-line forward to the Canadiens. To a contender he's a pretty generic middle sixer that runs hot and cold, the same way he was every other year in his career except for 20-21. He's just not the type of asset that returns you premium prospects. He was traded for a 2nd + an equivalent prospect to Heineman 2 years ago, the value of his extension increasing the pick from a 2nd to a 1st seems exactly correct.

_________

RE: broader Lehkonen trade, I am a huge Lehkonen fan and I think the "good 3rd liner" meme is underselling him, but it's hard to complain about this trade. The Habs waited for an offer they couldn't refuse and they got one. We had absolutely nothing in the system at RHD and Barron is a really nice piece that could fit very well with any of our LHD prospects in the future, and he's more of a known quantity than getting an actual 1st round pick instead.

Good third liners usually provide timely depth scoring but can't consistently score, defensively capable, and wins the coaches' trust. That's is Lehkonen. Brendan Gallagher in his prime would make the cut as a consistent top 6 forward of some sort. Not so for Lehkonen. Once upon a time, Michael Frolik was a monster 4th liner for Chicago because of his PK and D but very little O.

 

[JoelWarlord]

Good third liners usually provide timely depth scoring but can't consistently score, defensively capable, and wins the coaches' trust. That's is Lehkonen. Brendan Gallagher in his prime would make the cut as a consistent top 6 forward of some sort. Not so for Lehkonen. Once upon a time, Michael Frolik was a monster 4th liner for Chicago because of his PK and D but very little O.

He's been used as a top 6 forward the entire playoffs for a team that's in the cup final two years in a row.

 

[KevSkillz4]

Avs fan stopping by. Thanks for Lehkonen. And thanks to all of you who stopped by the Avs forum with your congratulations and well-wishes. It was a very cool thing to see.

Congrats to get a very good hockey playoff player. Thanks for Justin Barron too... I think it's a pretty good trade for both teams. Avs can win the cup with a player like Lehky in their line-up and MTL got a futur top 4 RD potential with Justin Barron.

 

[MtlSars]

Avs fan stopping by. Thanks for Lehkonen. And thanks to all of you who stopped by the Avs forum with your congratulations and well-wishes. It was a very cool thing to see.

2nd straight OT winner to close out the 3rd round.... I wish it was as great for you as it was for us........

but somehow I doubt it.

Enjoy the rest of the run! And if the hockey god so chooses.....please wreck Tampa....

 

[1909]

McKinnon says that he would trade 10 first rounders for Lehki.

Hughes got one. And a second for him.

 

[Rapala]

Armia could even be more effective just due to his size. The issue is consistency. Unless he's playing hurt, you know EXACTLY what you're getting with Lehkonen. Armia is tougher because he runs extremely hot and cold in terms of on-ice impact.

I also wouldn't play Drouin-Dvo-Armia, I don't think Dvorak is capable of elevating linemates like that and it hard to figure out the situation that line would be used in.

One can skate the other can’t. Let’s leave it at that. Apples and Oranges.

 

[Rapala]

Colorado is such a powerhouse offensive team, it wouldnt surprise me if Lehkonen scores 45-50 pts the next few seasons playing in the top 6.

You look at players they got before and after joining the avs:

Kadri went from a 50-60 pt player to being on pace for a 100 pts this season.

Nichushkin went from looking like bust to a 50+ pts player.

Burakovsky went from 30 pts to 60 pts.

Toews went from 30+ pts to 50+ pts.

45-50 pts wouldve been unrealistic for Lehkonen on the habs, but it could be doable with the avs.

Habs stats have been skewed for decades for a lack of offense. It actually speaks to how well Suzuki is managing despite all this. I think we are on the right path now in terms of what Hughes and Gorton want for the fans.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

Pretty cool Lehky scores the conference final clinching goal 2 years in a row playing for different teams.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Congrats to get a very good hockey playoff player. Thanks for Justin Barron too... I think it's a pretty good trade for both teams. Avs can win the cup with a player like Lehky in their line-up and MTL got a futur top 4 RD potential with Justin Barron.

Time will tell on all of this. You have a very good prospect. It's nice to start a rebuild with a dynamic defenseman without even needing to use a draft pick. And best of luck on the draft. Lots of good choices are out there for you.

 

[Not The One]

I'm going to go against the grain here but I hate trading players like him or Toffoli for picks You're trading a known quantity for an unknown, who could be better... but will likely be worse.

If you ONLY look at points, Lehkonen is already the 13th player with the most points that was drafted by the Habs in the last 20 years. Hopefully Barron turns out good. The Toffoli trade is looking even bleaker.

 

[ottawa]

I'm going to go against the grain here but I hate trading players like him or Toffoli for picks You're trading a known quantity for an unknown, who could be better... but will likely be worse.

If you ONLY look at points, Lehkonen is already the 13th player with the most points that was drafted by the Habs in the last 20 years. Hopefully Barron turns out good. The Toffoli trade is looking even bleaker.

Definitely hurts but it was a necessary move for the rebuild. Without trading them, maybe we finish 3rd last instead of dead last and don't get the #1 overall.

The picks we got for them may not have an impact given how late they are but that remains to be seen, I have more faith in our management picking and developing them than our previous management.

We also got a young D with top 4 potential, again I trust our current coach and management to help him reach that potential more than the previous group.

Time will tell who won, but right now I'm pretty happy with the return and the fact trading them helped us finish lower (this part is speculation, but I don't think it's a big reach) because I trust the people at the top. If Bergevin was still here then I'd maybe be a bit more inclined to have kept both.

 

[MoneyManny]

I'm going to go against the grain here but I hate trading players like him or Toffoli for picks You're trading a known quantity for an unknown, who could be better... but will likely be worse.

If you ONLY look at points, Lehkonen is already the 13th player with the most points that was drafted by the Habs in the last 20 years. Hopefully Barron turns out good. The Toffoli trade is looking even bleaker.

What's bleak is going nowhere since 1993 because we cling to our playera and try to be a dead end bubble team at all costs every year. The only way to build an exciting team in the flat cap world is through the draft and i'm happy the team finally made some moves towards that goal even if i loved Lehky and Toffoli.

 

[Naslundforever]

Wright will have to learn the game by mirroring Hoffman Drouin or Anderson on the ice or learning the intricacies of b-lining to the net with shear will for the Speedy Galagher. So sad.

;( I hope Lehkonen and the avs wins the cup, he finds his groove and pots 25 next year then comes back to the habs in a few years in time for the thick of his prime and the hab core stars hit their stride.

Unless that stud Slafkovsky makes us forget he ever existed by that time of course…

 

[angusyoung]

McKinnon says that he would trade 10 first rounders for Lehki.

Hughes got one. And a second for him.

Geez,ya think he might have been exaggerating a tad?

 

[26Mats]

McKinnon says that he would trade 10 first rounders for Lehki.

Hughes got one. And a second for him.

was a great trade for us. the best one so far by HuGo

 

[Captain97]

Avs fan stopping by. Thanks for Lehkonen. And thanks to all of you who stopped by the Avs forum with your congratulations and well-wishes. It was a very cool thing to see.

This seems like a trade both teams should be fans of. We got a good prospect and a pick y'all got a middle six forward who score clutch goals.

I hope yall win the cup, I'll prbly stop by in the finals. Need to cheer on our boy the baby faced assassin lehkonen.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

How much better are we talking about here? Top 6 regular?
For the circumstances involved, letting him go was obviously the right move. We can't make the playoffs for him to have his playoff moments.

For the sake of discussion, Lehkonen is an astronomically better player than Moen and especially Prust.

 

[themilosh]

Geez,ya think he might have been exaggerating a tad?

I guess MacKinnon has no ambitions of becoming a GM.. lol - what a dumb comment to say, even if he's just making a point.