The Colorado Avalanche provides a disappointing update on Artturi Lehkonen and finalizes their roster

We're just two days away from the 2024-25 NHL regular season from getting underway, and the Colorado Avalanche has finalized it's roster for opening night against the Vegas Golden Knights. Head coach Jared Bednar also took the time to give an update on Artturi Lehkonen, and the news was not great.

Despite the fact that there are some key names missing from the list, the Colorado Avalanche's projected lineup for opening night looks very good. The top line will be centered by superstar Nathan MacKinnon, with Jonathan Drouin and Mikko Rantanen on the wings. It's a line with more than it's fair share of firepower and talent.

Unfortuantely, it looks like Artturi Lehkonen is out through at least October. Lehkonen, who underwent shoulder surgery in May, will be reevaluated at that time, but there's no set date for his return at the moment. Meanwhile, Valeri Nichushkin is still serving his six-month suspension that comes to an end in mid-November, while Gabriel Landeskog remains on the sidelines as well. There is still no timetable for his return, but Landeskog has said he intends to play again. In a surprising move, rookie Nikolai Kovalenko was assigned to the minors.

It's never great to be missing so many key names, but it's a chance for younger, or perhaps more overlooked player to get a chance to prove they have what it takes to be in the top two to three lines. If he can keep himself out of trouble, Valeri Nichushkin has the ability to add some explosive firepower to the lineup once he returns.