The Colorado Avalanche had two players nominated for individual awards for the end of the season: Gabriel Landeskog and Brock Nelson. Landeskog was nominated for the Bill Masterton, and Nelson was nominated for the Selke.


Landeskog’s nomination for the Masteron came on Monday. Nelson’s nomination for the Selke was announced earlier on Wednesday.

Landeskog’s Masterton bid

For the second year in a row, Landeskog was nominated for the Masterton. The Masterton is awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

He gets the honor after battling through and returning from his horrific knee injury. His return in the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars last season was phenomenal, even if it was short-lived.


Where he really stood out was his resilience throughout the regular season. He returned to consistent action with no issues with his knee. However, he did deal with broken ribs and taking a shot to the place where the sun doesn’t shine.

Nonetheless, he persevered and still played 60 games in the regular season. He finished with 14 goals and 21 assists. He is also one of the highest scorers in the playoffs for Colorado, with four goals and three assists in six games.

Off the ice, Landeskog’s impact has been greatly felt. The Avalanche captain has pushed through and sacrificed a lot to get to where he is today. Both he, the locker room, organization, and the fans know it. Now, will he win it over the Buffalo Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin and the Winnipeg Jets’ Jonathan Toews? That’s to be determined.

Nelson’s Selke bid

Nelson’s bid for the Selke trophy is due to his defensive efforts. The award goes to the best defensive forward, and Nelson has done it for the Avalanche on both sides of the ice.

This is his first NHL Awards vote in any category in his 13-year career. In 81 games, he scored 33 goals with 32 assists while winning over 50% of his faceoffs. Where he has stood out has been in his increased defensive play.

He finished with 65 blocks, 38 hits, and 21 takeaways. His 65 blocks are a new career high for the 34-year-old veteran.


In addition to his defensive play with the Avs, it carried over to Team USA during the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. It helped Team USA capture its first gold medal since the Miracle on Ice in 1980 over Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Devon Toews on Team Canada.

His nomination will go up against the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Anthony Cirelli and the Montreal Canadiens’ Nick Suzuki. Can both he and Landeskog bring home some more hardware for the Avs this season, while still being in the running for the Stanley Cup? It would be a huge accomplishment to do so in a historic season.