One of the biggest news in the National Hockey League over the last 48 hours did not come during a regularly scheduled game, but practice. It is being reported by Rogers Sportsnet that veteran Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog of Stockholm, Sweden was back on the ice practicing and could soon join Colorado when they play three games in eastern Canada against the Toronto Maple Leafs (March 19), Ottawa Senators (March 20) and Montreal Canadiens (March 22). We have not seen Landeskog over the last three years at all. He has not played since June 26, 2022 (the night the Avalanche beat the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the 2022 Stanley Cup) due to a serious knee injury that has required numerous surgeries.
Landeskog’s career statistics with the Avalanche
Landeskog has 248 goals and 323 assists for 571 points in 738 games with the Avalanche from 2011 to 2022. He is a +77 with 601 penalty minutes, 150 power-play points, 10 shorthanded points, 43 game-winning goals, 2029 shots on goal, 1514 faceoff wins, 534 blocked shots, 1464 hits, 469 takeaways, five hat tricks, one playoff overtime goal, and 352 giveaways. The overtime winner in the Stanley Cup Playoffs came on May 6, 2019 in a 4-3 Avalanche win over the San Jose Sharks. Landeskog scored from defenseman Cale Makar of Calgary, Alberta in game six of the Western Conference semifinals.
Landeskog’s career accolades
Landeskog was the second overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The only player selected ahead of Landeskog was Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of Burnaby, British Columbia, who was taken first overall by the Edmonton Oilers. Landeskog won the Calder Trophy in 2011-12. That year he had 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points in 82 games. Landeskog was an All-Star in 2018-19. That year he had 34 goals and 41 assists for 75 points in 73 games. Then in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs (the year the Avalanche won the Cup), Landeskog had 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points and was a +15, which tied Connor McDavid of the Oilers and Bowen Byram of the Avalanche for the highest plus/minus in the playoffs.
Avalanche an elite team in the West
Colorado currently has 85 points. That is the third most points in the Central Division and the fourth most points in the Western Conference.
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