Colorado Avalanche 2025-26 Player Grades: Gabriel Landeskog

The Colorado Avalanche are making changes this offseason, but expect to contend again in the 2026-27 season. While they try to figure out what went wrong against the Vegas Golden Knights, we will look at the 2025-26 season reflectively.

That’s right, it’s time for player grades! The subject today is one of the most beloved players in Avalanche history. He is also the epitome of a leader, a heart-and-soul player on a level that few others have achieved in franchise history: Gabriel Landeskog.

Production

It was hard to really know what to expect form Landeskog this season. He missed three full years because of a major knee injury, though he had a nice (and very brief) run leading into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

This season perhaps set the table for what kind of player he is now. Landeskog managed 14 goals and 35 points in 60 games, though he battled through some serious injuries along the way. What would his numbers look like if he could find a rhythm and be in the lineup every night?

Landeskog played mostly in a third-line role, racking up 16:25 of ice time per night. He’s still a very good two-way player but this isn’t the same Landeskog we saw when the Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2022.

Intangibles

Landeskog’s game is so much more than his production. He plays hard, still has a physical edge to his game even after all this time, and brings a level of leadership to the room that can’t be quantified (or maybe it can). He is a glue player, the kind that holds a lineup together.

Where he can’t be quite the same offensively, he still finds a way to be impactful. On a positive note, his 60 games are the most he’s played since 2018-19 and having him in the lineup more often than not is always a good thing for the Avalanche.

Overall Grade: B+

This grade ran the gamut from B to A-. It all depends on how you look at what he’s supposed to be and what he really is. His durability continues to be a real concern, although it probably helps when Cale Makar isn’t bombing slapshots into his junk.

When he’s in the lineup, Landeskog plays tough minutes responsibly and with a physicality the Avalanche value. He’s the ultimate leader, a guy who will sacrifice everything to help the team win. The offense isn’t there and it might not come back, but it’s hard to ask for much more than what Landeskog gave.

Taking on a Different Role

This isn’t the same Landeskog that has been on some of the greatest lines in Avalanche history. He’s approaching his 34^th birthday and has been through more from an injury standpoint than what the vast majority of players go through in a full career.

Landeskog is obviously the leader and captain of the Avalanche. His toughness cannot be questioned, and he had an outstanding playoffs with six goals and 11 points in 13 games. Can he turn that into a stronger regular season? The reality is that he’s more likely a very good third-liner than a high-end top-six winger these days.