There's still time for the Flyers to buy out Lehtera, who will make $4.7 million in 2018-19, but GM Ron Hextell appears content with keeping Lehtera as a minor role player. He played in 62 games last season and scored just three goals and eight points with a minus-8 rating. A big part of that low offensive output was bad luck, as the 30-year-old posted a career-low 6.7 shooting percentage. If it improves closer to his career norm of 11.9, Lehtera is a candidate to score 10 goals and 20 points while chipping in about a hit per game. Of course, that's only if he plays. The Flyers have a plethora of young forwards and signed James van Riemsdyk in free agency, so it might take an injury or two to get Lehtera into the lineup.
Lehtera mostly fit in well as a bottom-six center for the Blues, but he’s carrying the cap hit of a top-six player (another two years at $4.7 million annually), which led to an offseason trade to Philadelphia. Lehtera began his NHL career with great promise back in 2014-15, recording 14 goals and 30 assists, but it became evident that he was riding the coattails of superstar Vladimir Tarasenko -- once the two were separated, Lehtera’s production dropped while Tarasenko’s was unfazed. Last season, it got to the point where Lehtera ended up as a healthy scratch on multiple occasions. The 29-year-old will have a difficult time cracking the lineup in Philly as a center, and the Flyers have a number of lot of high-upside young players to try on the wings, which could mean that Lehtera bounces between the NHL and AHL at times, as other teams are unlikely to claim that big contract on waivers. Even if that doesn't transpire, he may see the inside of the press box all too frequently for fantasy owners’ tastes in 2017-18.
We'll be blunt. Lehtera's fantasy value has been tied to two guys – Alex Steen and Vladimir Tarasenko – and not for great reasons. He has needed the former to be out of the lineup in order to score. And he needed to skate alongside the latter to actually get his points. Ugh. Lehtera is a lovely third-line checker with a slim shot at starting the season hot if Alexander Steen hasn't returned from shoulder surgery. And he won't get ice time with Vladdy, with all the young talent on the Blues squad. Lehtera will ultimately center the Blues third line with Steen and Ty Rattie, and will only get second-line duty if Vladimir Sobotka falls apart upon his return from the KHL. He's destined for 30-to-35 points. Let someone else take the bait.
Lehtera emerged from obscurity as a strong performer for the Blues after spending several years in the KHL, posting 44 points and a plus-21 in 75 games as a rookie. The Blues rewarded the 27-year-old with a three-year contract in the offseason, so he'll be expected to improve in the coming season, especially if he continues to serve at center alongside Vladimir Tarasenko, the young phenom with whom he showed so much chemistry last year. There's some reason to be skeptical about such a big jump from a player his age, however, especially since Lehtera only managed 103 shots on goal, posting a 13.6 shooting percentage that's probably not repeatable. Lehtera's defensive game and ability in the faceoff circle will almost certainly keep him in a top-six role, though, and if he can create some more scoring chances for himself, he has the skill and opprtunity to improve upon last year's totals.
A former third-round draft pick by the Blues in 2008, Lehtera has spent the last several seasons honing his game overseas while the St. Louis organization anxiously tracked his development. After back-to-back 40-point seasons with Novosibirsk Sibir of the KHL, Lehtera, 26, decided to make the jump to the NHL, agreeing with the Blues on a two-year, $5.5-million contract in July. While his lack of experience with the faster-paced North American game makes it difficult to project how well the Finnish forward will transition to the new league, the Blues will attempt to ease the pressure by earmarking him for a third-line role. Given his ideal size (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) and ability to play both center and wing, Lehtera could ultimately earn a promotion to a top-six role in the event of an injury, and may see time right away on the Blues’ secondary power-play unit. He makes for a low-risk, high-upside target in the end game of fantasy drafts for deeper leagues.
Lehtera suffered a knee injury and was limited to 25 games for Sibir Novosibirsk of the Russian KHL. He was having a productive season before the knee injury and never was right afterward. The Blues would like to see a more complete game from Lehtera, but at this point, he's not in the team's plans.
Lehtera has been burning up the Finnish League (SM-liiga) for the past three seasons and is expected to play in the KHL for Lokomotiv in 2010-11. The Blues signed him to an entry-level contract this summer, in order to retain his NHL rights. He's a gifted puck-handler and passer, combined with a deadly scoring touch -- something the Blues need right now. He's not much in the two-way game and needs to improve his physical play.
