The Habs got one of their better prospects officially under contract on Sunday as the team announced that they have signed Finnish forward Artturi Lehkonen to a three year contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Lehkonen had a breakout season in 2015-16 with Frolunda of the SHL. He suited up in 49 regular season games with them, collecting 16 goals and 17 assists which was good for sixth in team scoring while more than doubling his production from the previous season. He took that to another level in the playoffs, playing at a point per game pace to set a new franchise record for points in a postseason with 19, eclipsing Daniel Alfredsson’s mark. That total also tied him for the league lead in postseason scoring along with teammate Ryan Lasch.
While it wasn’t officially announced in their press release, it is believed that the deal does contain a European assignment clause that would allow Lehkonen to be assigned back to Frolunda if he doesn’t crack Montreal’s roster out of training camp. Late in December, he had inked a one year extension for the 2016-17 with his SHL team.
The Habs selected the 6’0 winger in the second round back in 2013, 55th overall. The Canadiens have signed all but one of their selections from that draft. The lone one to not yet ink a contract is Martin Reway who was picked in the fourth round (116th overall). GM Marc Bergevin noted recently that the team is in contract discussions with the Slovak winger.
Lehkonen’s Stats:
