All eyes are on Gabriel Landeskog as he defies the impossible. The Colorado Avalanche captain has missed the last three years because of injury and is itching to play. Landeskog went on a conditioning loan and played two games with the Colorado Eagles and then five games for the Avalanche. During those seven games, the Swede tallied two goals and four assists. But there was one thing missing from his game — his true grit.

Landeskog has never shied away from sticking up for his teammates. During the Stanley Cup-winning season, Landeskog dropped the gloves four times. On average, he will get into one fight a season, but it is when it matters. During his two-game stint with the Eagles, Landeskog showed he was itching to get a fight under his belt. The officials on the ice just would not let that happen. During a scrum in game one, Landeskog attempted to rip an opponent’s helmet off, but the officials stepped in quickly to end it.

When given the chance during the preseason game on Sunday, Landeskog did not hesitate to step up and defend a teammate. After a dirty hit on Cale Makar in the third period by Samuel Lipkin, Landeskog did what any teammate would do.

“You see one of your players go down.” Landeskog said. “And in this case, it doesn’t matter if it is our best player or not, somebody’s got to do something.”

Landeskog and Lipkin met at center-ice for a heavyweight bout that the captain made quick work of it.


If the Avalanche can have the captain’s grit, along with Keaton Middleton and Josh Manson, this could become a lethal force for other teams to mess with. Landeskog has shown us he is ready with more than just the fight. He also had the only assist on Tristen Nielsen’s first goal on Sunday. At Tuesday’s practice, Landeskog displayed that his speed could be back as well. He caught up to the first line in a drill from the corner to affect the play. Landeskog will make more of an impact than just the scoresheet this season. He will bring his physicality and pressure to the opponents to be a threat on the ice.