The Colorado Avalanche are many people’s pick – including the pick of this writer – to win the ultra-competitive Central Division this season and go far in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

One of the reasons is the addition of captain and left winger Gabriel Landeskog, who made a triumphant return to action in the post-season last year. This year, Landeskog is beginning the regular season as a healthy and key member of the Avalanche’s top-six forwards – and on Sunday, Landeskog showed just how ready he is. 

The veteran stood up for teammate and star defenseman Cale Makar, and got into a scrap with Utah Mammoth left winger Sam Lipkin.

In the third period, Lipkin elbowed Makar and knocked him out of the game. It was the standard response teams have come to expect when one of its players is hurt, but Landeskog’s willingness to do so doesn’t go unnoticed – and it didn’t matter to him that this happened in a pre-season game.

“In that moment, I wasn’t thinking about whether it’s preseason or not,” Landeskog told reporters after the game. “You see one of your players go down, honestly, it doesn’t matter if it’s our best player or not, someone’s got to do something.”

Landeskog is an expert on the team dynamic and a longtime leader in Colorado’s dressing room. He drew a great deal of attention when he recorded four points in five playoff games, returning last season from a difficult and prolonged recovery. 

His positive health status this year sends his comeback arc to areas he’d hoped for when he was dealing with issues that kept him out of the Avs’ lineup for three seasons. 

'The Best Story In Sports': The Hockey World Reacts To Gabriel Landeskog’s First NHL Goal In 1,041 Days <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche" target="_blank">Colorado Avalanche</a> captain Gabriel Landeskog grabbed the headlines with a storied goal against the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars" target="_blank">Dallas Stars</a> in Game 4 on Saturday.

More importantly, Landeskog’s availability right off the bat this year is essentially a trade acquisition that will greatly improve the Avalanche’s second line. Landeskog will likely be playing alongside center Brock Nelson and right winger Artturi Lehkonen, and that will give Colorado one of the better second lines in the league, if not the best second line.

Landeskog doesn’t have to do the heavy lifting as he reacclimates with the grind of the regular season. Instead, Landeskog can leave the heavy lifting to Avs stars, including Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas.

Most people will be watching Landeskog to see if he can stay healthy – and if he does, how Avalanche coach Jared Bednar chooses to use him on a day-to-day basis. But Landeskog’s answer to the Makar hit will be seen by Colorado management as a great harbinger of what’s to come for him and the Avs in 2025-26.

At 32 years old, Landeskog may no longer be a 30-goal, 60-point player like he was in his twenties. But he’s a valuable member of the Avalanche on and off the ice. If he manages to stay in the lineup all season long, Landeskog is going to help Colorado ratchet up its game and be a true threat to win the Central – and maybe, just maybe, win a Stanley Cup. 

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