When the Montreal Canadiens traded Artturi Lehkonen to the Colorado Avalanche it was a bitter pill to swallow.
Lehkonen sent the Canadiens to the 2021 Stanley Cup final with a back-breaking overtime goal that sent the Vegas Golden Knights packing. At 1:39 of the first overtime period, Lehkonen sent the Knights packing. He scored one of the teams' biggest goals, clinching the organization's first Stanley Cup final berth since 1993.
We all know how the trip in 1993 played out - Montreal beat the Los Angeles Kings in five games and won their 24th Stanley Cup. But, things changed quite drastically afterwards, as the Canadiens only managed a 55-point season under Dominique Ducharme's coaching. The club announced that Marc Bergevin was fired on November 28, 2021, and then Ducharme was fired on February 9, 2022.
Jeff Gorton was hired first, then he hired Kent Hughes and Martin St. Louis was brought in on an interim basis, which turned into a full-time role. Hughes has made many trades, but one that might be hard to stomach is the Lehkonen one. Justin Barron has yet to hit his stride, but Lehkonen has a Stanley Cup on his resume and looks like a top-six pillar for the Avalanche.
The trade was made official on March 21, 2021 - Lehkonen went to the Avalanche and Barron came the other way, along with a 2024 second-round pick.
Is this a loss for Hughes?
Lehkonen has played 115 regular season games with the Aves, amassing 43 goals and 94 points. His playoff numbers have also been pretty impressive, through 38 games, Lehkonen has posted 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points. Lehkonen has been everything and then some for the Avalanche, in terms of pre-trade expectations.
Barron has played 92 games with the Canadiens but still hasn't completely found his way with the Habs in a full-time roster role. Over that time he has posted 12 goals and 18 assists, but the points aren't the issue with Barron, it's his play in his end and decision-making. The 2024-25 season will be a big one for Barron because he has Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher nipping at his heels.
At this time, the Avalanche have undoubtedly won the trade, looking like bandits. Barron has to address a few things and could very well assert himself as one of the Habs' top three right defenders if everything goes right. But, to be frank, it isn't looking too good for the Habs side of the Lehkonen-Barron trade at this juncture.