The Canadiens received defenseman prospect
Justin Barron
and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft for the forward.
Lehkonen signed a one-year contract with the Canadiens on July 31, 2021 and can become a restricted free agent after the season. The 26-year-old scored 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 58 games.
Selected by Montreal in the second round (No. 55) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Lehkonen has scored 149 points (74 goals, 75 assists) in 396 regular-season games and 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 33 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He scored the goal that put Montreal into the Stanley Cup Final last season, at 1:39 of overtime for a 3-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals. The Canadiens lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
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Colorado (45-13-5) led the Central Division and NHL standings entering play Tuesday.
The Avalanche also acquired forward Andrew Cogliano in a trade with the San Jose Sharks for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft. The 34-year-old forward has scored 425 points (174 goals, 251 assists) in 1,122 NHL games and 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 100 playoff games.
Barron, the No. 25 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, made his NHL debut Dec. 14 for the Avalanche against the New York Rangers. The 20-year-old scored 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 43 games for Colorado of the American Hockey League this season.
Morgan Barron, Justin's 23-year-old brother, played 18 games for the Rangers before he was traded to the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.
Montreal (17-36-10) was last in the NHL standings.
"For sure it wasn't an easy trade, not only for management but for the team and our room," Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said. "We got a prospect who we liked a lot, and he's a right-handed defenseman, which fills a need. And we got a second-round pick. So we felt we got what we needed to make the trade."
NHL.com independent correspondent Sean Farrell contributed to this report
