Artturi Lehkonen faces the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night for the first time since the trade that sent him to Colorado on March 21 for defenseman Justin Barron and a second-round pick in 2024.
The Finn won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche a few months later thanks to his winning goal.
“It will be fun to play against my old team,” he said with a smile after morning practice.
However, he will miss a player he liked in the visitors’ camp against whom he would have liked to face. Brendan Gallagher is still struggling with a lower body injury and will miss the game. Lehkonen does not hide that it is a missed appointment.
“Yes! I’m quite disappointed, but I’m sure I’ll have the opportunity to face him another time. It would have been a struggle.”
At least he was able to socialize with old comrades on Tuesday evening. According to him, he was the one who took the bill.
“I paid for it!”
Asked if he felt that the affection of the public was up to the services he rendered to the Habs, “Lehky” answered in the affirmative.
“I feel that I was appreciated. Montreal treated me well and I really enjoyed my time there. I spent six years there.”
Listen to his pre-match press briefing in the video, above.