The last couple of months have been very up-and-down for the Colorado Avalanche. They rip off several wins in a row, only to lose in frustrating fashion. Even still, they have the most points in the NHL and seem ready to make a deep run after a busy trade deadline.
One thing that will be lingering at the back of everyone’s mind is the health of captain Gabriel Landeskog. Out with a “lower-body” injury that will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis, it may be time to take a longer look at the future of his career.
The Knee Issue
Hoisting the Stanley Cup in June 2022 – that was the last time we had seen Landeskog. Then 29 years old, the captain had been dealing with a known knee injury that would require surgery. He might not be ready for the following season, but it was just a matter of “when,” not “if,” he would return.
But then Landeskog missed all of the 2022-23 season because of the knee. Then all of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons as well. Only in the first-round playoff matchup with the Dallas Stars last spring did he finally return to the lineup.
Landeskog hasn’t quite looked like himself so far, but that’s to be expected with so much time missed. Does that mean he doesn’t have what he once did or is he still working through the rust that comes with missing so much time? It is a question the player and team no doubt ask themselves routinely.
A Slew of Injuries This Season
The Avalanche made a few moves at the trade deadline to improve weaknesses, largely at center. But one of the underlying factors to consider behind those moves is the availability of their captain this season.
Related: 6 Most Impactful Deals of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline
Dealing with an injury that could happen to anyone, it would be hard to fault Landeskog this time around. But it is just one of a few injuries. The knee injury that sidelined him for so long remains a major concern, but his overall durability is in question after an upper-body injury cost him weeks and nearly caused him to miss the Olympics.
Landeskog is a warrior and no one is questioning his resolve. But his injury history has become a long and complicated one in recent years, leaving both him and the Avalanche with hard questions to ask.
Age, Wear & Tear, and Time Left Can’t Be Ignored
Landeskog is now 33 years old, a point when a great many players start to trend downwards or fall off the cliff completely. Through 47 games, Landeskog has nine goals and 29 points – not awful but not the high-end top six forward he had been.
Thankfully, Landeskog hasn’t had known issues with his knee this season, but other injuries have limited him. Is that just an unlucky season or a sign of things to come? He doesn’t shy away from the physical aspect of the game, something that he was able to hold up against better in his youth.
Landeskog was limited to 51 games the year the Avalanche won the Cup. He’s been limited this season. Avalanche management has to consider the possibility that Landeskog’s body is breaking down and making it harder for him to stay on the ice. He will need this playoff run to show that he can remain on the ice and effective when he is.
The End of the Road?
Landeskog is a fierce competitor; you have to be go through what he has and resume an on-ice career. That said, there are a lot of factors going against him right now. Getting hit in the beans with a Cale Makar slapshot isn’t indicative of anything other than the defenseman shooting hard.
It is unlikely that Landeskog calls it a career after this season, but would another Stanley Cup change his mind? He has been through so much mentally and physically the past few years that it might be appealing for him to go out on top. Either way, it is something that both Landeskog and the Avalanche have to at least give some thought to.
