There was a time when Gabriel Landeskog’s future looked like a question nobody wanted to answer. The knee injury he suffered was the kind that can end a career, and plenty of people moved on. The Colorado Avalanche didn’t.
They stuck with their captain through three missed seasons, and Landeskog finally made his return in the 2025 NHL playoffs. Last season, he got back into 60 games for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign, when he played 51. The production wasn’t eye-popping - 14 goals and 35 points - but it was a start.
This season, though, he looks like a different player. In 19 games, Landeskog has been healthy enough to show the edge and presence that made him the heart and soul of the Avalanche. The scoring touch has come with it, too: seven goals and 12 points while averaging about 14 minutes of ice time per night.
Tuesday night in Toronto was the clearest snapshot yet. Landeskog scored twice in Colorado’s 6-3 win, but the biggest strike came right after the Maple Leafs had tied it up. That go-ahead goal changed the feel of the game immediately, draining the momentum out of Toronto and opening the door for the Avalanche to pull away.
Seven goals in 19 games doesn’t jump off the page at first glance, but it puts Landeskog on a quiet 30-goal pace. For a Colorado team that hasn’t always had its offense firing cleanly, that kind of production matters.
It has also earned him a move up the lineup. Over the last couple of weeks, coach Jared Bednar has pushed Landeskog onto the second line with Nazem Kadri and Nic Roy, and the group has clicked well enough that it could stay together the rest of the season.
That matters because the Avalanche need scoring from more than one place. Landeskog has helped fill that gap, alongside Kadri and Jaden Schwartz, while Colorado searches for more consistency. The back-to-back wins this week have helped, and Landeskog has been a big reason why.
The scoring is part of it. The leadership is the rest. Even when it doesn’t show up on the sheet, it shows up in the way the Avalanche respond.
Colorado waited for him. Now they’re getting the payoff.
In Other News...
Avalanche Suddenly Face A Brutal Question About MacKinnon And Makar
The Avalanches night against Ottawa took a sharp turn when Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar both exited with lower-body injuries, leaving Colorado to absorb a hit to two of its most important players at once. MacKinnon was hurt while trying to check Artem Zub and eventually had to leave the bench, while Makar went out earlier, briefly came back for one shift and was then ruled out.
For a team that leans so heavily on both stars, the timing makes the concern obvious. Colorado can usually survive a rough stretch because MacKinnon drives the attack and Makar anchors the back end, but losing either one changes the look of the lineup fast. Losing both in the same game raises an even bigger question about how the Avalanche handle the next stretch if the injuries linger. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Suddenly Face A Brutal Problem After MacKinnon And Makar Exit
The Avalanche were already in a tricky spot against Ottawa, and the second period made it much worse when Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar both exited after sustaining injuries. Makar went down while retrieving the puck without contact, while MacKinnon was hurt in a scuffle with Artum Zub, leaving Colorado suddenly scrambling for answers in the middle of a game it could not afford to lose control of.
With Josh Manson also unavailable, the Avalanche may have to reach into their depth chart for help, with Noah Juulsen and Alex Gagne among the names that could be called up. For a team built around elite pace and high-end skill, the possibility of being without two of its biggest drivers is a stark reminder of how quickly a night can change, and how thin the margin becomes when the blue line and top six are both under pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Suddenly Face A Real Test Without Nathan MacKinnon
Nathan MacKinnons lower-body injury has put the Avalanche in an uncomfortable spot at a time when they were already leaning heavily on their top center to drive the offense. He left the game in the second period and did not return, and Colorado moved quickly to bring up Gavin Brindley from the AHLs Colorado Eagles as a short-term answer. Brindley has already been shuttled up and down multiple times this season, so this is not unfamiliar territory for him.
What changes now is the burden on everyone else. MacKinnons absence strips away the teams most reliable source of pace and production, and Brindley is being asked to help fill some of that gap with offense of his own. For a club that has built so much of its identity around MacKinnon setting the tone, the immediate question is how long Colorado can keep its game intact while waiting for more clarity on his status. [Read more 🡒]