Not all of Colorado's leaders wear a letter but they are a diverse group that handles all aspects of guidance for the team.
Not all of Colorado's leaders wear a letter but they are a diverse group that handles all aspects of guidance for the team.
Colorado's leadership has not changed since captain Gabriel Landeskog announced he would miss the 2022-23 season and did not change when he took off this season, as well. The core group — which varies quite a bit — covers everything for head coach Jared Bednar.
"Landy (Landeskog) leads in a different way. He's the voice of reason, he's really dialed in in a lot of areas and we have a bunch of really strong leaders that support — Nate, Landy, Mikko (Rantanen), Cale (Makar) — in different ways," Bednar said. "So it's nice to have that mix of leaders in your room so you're you're not missing out on anything. Like everything is provided with our leadership group."
As MacKinnon and Makar have said they lead by example, Rantanen has admitted to being more vocal. Although MacKinnon has shown his vocal leadership side on the bench and on the ice as well.
"Myself, I feel I'm a lead by example type of guy, just kind of even keel at all times. Hopefully a guy that guys can lean on just if they need some help and stuff like that," Makar told The Hockey News' Colleen Flynn. "We have a lot of different individuals on this team and that's what makes it unique — everybody's kind of got their own leadership style regardless of whether they're wearing a letter or not."
With four new players, team leadership has been more important to help the newcomers get comfortable and adjusted. For the Avs' new second-line center Casey Mittelstadt, the transition to the team has been a positive experience.
"It's been awesome, they've all been great to me. Obviously it's a very intense group and I think I can fit into that well though," Casey Mittelstadt said. "They've all been great and obviously we've been winning so it's been a lot of fun."
Landeskog traveled with the team on the four-game road trip and will continue his presence back in Denver. The Avalanche have depth as a team to win games — with the adamant guidance from their leaders on and off the ice.
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