Kukkonen was drafted by the
Chicago Blackhawks as their fifth-round pick, 151st overall, in the
2003 NHL entry draft. He played ten
National Hockey League games during the
2003–04 NHL season, after which he returned to his hometown
Kärpät in the
SM-liiga. Kukkonen won the SM-liiga gold medal with
Kärpät in 2005. In the
2006-07 season, Kukkonen returned to the Chicago Blackhawks and played in 54 games before he was dealt to the
Philadelphia Flyers along with a 3rd round draft pick in a three-way deal with the
Chicago Blackhawks and
Detroit Red Wings on 26 February 2007. With the Flyers, Kukkonen was put on a defensive pairing with
Joni Pitkänen, also a native of Oulu. The two were also a pairing for 4 years in Finland. On 17 May 2007 he signed a two-year contract with the Flyers. On 24 June 2009, Kukkonen signed a two-year deal with
Russian team Avangard Omsk of the KHL. ==International play==