Artturi Lehkonen’s success was not guaranteed when he stepped on the plane to North America. Not many pundits, fans or even members of the Montreal Canadiens organization knew what the young rookie would become - a player that would cement his place on the team as a key asset.
Sure, the young Finn had set a new franchise scoring record for Frölunda HC in the playoffs, one that belonged to Daniel Alfredsson. But there were still question marks about his size, his ability to adapt to North American rinks, as well as a contract clause which involved a return to Frölunda if he didn’t make the Habs out of training camp.