Canadiens sign Lehkonen to 2-year, $4.8M deal

The Montreal Canadiens and forward Artturi Lehkonen have agreed to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.4 million, the team announced Thursday.

Lehkonen was a restricted free agent and had an arbitration hearing scheduled for Aug. 3.

The 24-year-old set career highs with 20 assists and 31 points in 82 games with the Canadiens last season. Selected by Montreal with the 55th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, Lehkonen has tallied 41 goals and 80 points in 221 career contests.

The Habs also inked forward Joel Armia to a two-year deal Thursday and now have $4.84 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly.