The Colorado Avalanche made one significant move on Monday before the NHL's trade deadline passed, acquiring forward Artturi Lehkonen from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Justin Barron and a 2024 second-round pick.
Montreal also retained half of Lehkonen's salary in the deal.
It may not look splashy on paper, but the Avalanche made a strong pickup. Let's grade the GMs who put this one together:
Colorado Avalanche: A-
We can start with the fact that Lehkonen is a pending restricted free agent with a $2.3 million cap hit. That's either rental cost Colorado can carry, especially with captain Gabriel Landeskog on long-term injured reserve following knee surgery, or gives them first crack at signing Lehkonen to a new deal.
Now, the Avalanche already have a stable of high-flying, high-scoring players (Nazem Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, etc). Lehkonen is a middle-six skater who provides secondary scoring depth and more defensive balance in Colorado's lineup.
He was the third leading scorer on a bad Montreal team this season (13 goals and 29 points in 58 games) but lighting the lamp isn't where Lehkonen really shines. He can grind you down. Lehkonen is a terrific forechecker and cycle player, which only benefits everyone else around him.
In short, Lehkonen is what the Avalanche need for their forthcoming playoff push. When offense becomes more scarce, he'll be a reliable presence in Colorado's end and get them back on the attack.
All that doesn't come for nothing though. GM Joe Sakic paid a decent price by sending Barron, the club's 25th overall pick in 2020, the other way, along with a second-round choice. It was a necessary decision, since this is Colorado's time to strike. They already added Josh Manson to patrol the blue line and are clearly in win-now mode. There's no reason to hold back when the opportunity to improve is there.
Montreal Canadiens: B+
GM Kent Hughes has made the Canadiens better through a coaching change (to Martin St. Louis). Now he's focused on the next wave of skaters who can elevate Montreal on the ice.
Barron can do that. The 20-year-old defenseman is a solid two-year player already, notching 20 points in 43 games for the AHL's Colorado Eagles this season. He's appeared in two NHL games to date but could get more of an opportunity more quickly with Montreal than he would have in Colorado given the Canadiens' needs. Plus, he's a coveted right-handed shot and 6-foot-2. In a few years, that could make for an intimidating top-four presence on Montreal's backend.
The second-round choice is a nice get, too. Hughes was able to play the short and long game with this transaction, setting his team up for positive returns down the road.