Montreal Canadiens: Three Players Who Have Far Exceeded Expectations This Season

Artturi Lehkonen

While Artturi Lehkonen scored one of the biggest goals in recent Habs memory when he sniped the series winning goal in the third round of the 2021 Playoffs, he wasn’t known as a goal scorer with the Habs.

Lehkonen always played a terrific defensive game for the Canadiens. He would kill penalties, play tough matchups with ease, shut down the best opposing players, and make it look easy with his smarts and stick skills.

Unexpectedly, Lehkonen also took a step forward offensively this season. His awareness and defensive skills often allowed him to get scoring chances, but he would rarely be able to finish off those plays.

This season, he scored 13 goals and 29 points in 58 games in a Habs sweater. That had him on pace for 18 goals which would have tied a career high, and 41 points which would have been ten more than his best season to date.

Of course, Lehkonen was traded to the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline, but the return of Justin Barron and a second round pick was a lot more than originally expected because Lehkonen exceeded his own expectations so much this season.