There is no question of what Gabriel Landeskog brings to the Colorado Avalanche. This 33-year-old prioritizes contributions over points. Being a hockey captain means providing the players’ essential bench-side guidance and a locker room presence. His leadership has been vital to the success of the Avalanche this season. Landeskog played the first 41 games of the season for the Avalanche before suffering an upper-body injury on January 4th in Florida.

Before the injury

He played in every game for the Avalanche preceding the Florida injury. He had seven goals and 15 assists while playing on the second and third lines. The captain provides a heavy forecheck and backcheck through the neutral zone, making it difficult for the opponent to exit the zone. While the Avalanche had him in the lineup, they held a 31–3–7 record. Or a .756 winning percentage. During the season’s first half, he showed how much the Avalanche missed his leadership throughout the past three years. Minor examples would pop up here and there, like pulling young players aside during practice. Or speaking with officials during a called penalty, or conferring with teammates on the bench for minor game adjustments.

Since the Injury

In the 13 games since Landeskog’s injury, the Avalanche have had a record of 5–6–2. Or a .384 winning percentage. This could show how valuable the captain’s contributions have been over the first half of the season. Landeskog can have a calming presence for some players, and that has been missing from the Avalanche in the last 13 games. Yes, there have been a couple of other players injured as well, but the drop in the Avs’ record directly corresponds with Landeskog’s injury. Despite missing those games, the Swede is still third on the team in hits for forwards with 60. He is second on the team in faceoff percentage (62.6 or 92-for-147). With his faceoff ability gone for the moment from Colorado, it is creating less offense for them as well.

Feb 19, 2014; Sochi, RUSSIA; Slovenia defenseman Ales Kranjc (28) battles for the puck between Sweden forward Gabriel Landeskog (92) and defenseman Alexander Edler (23) in the men’s ice hockey quarterfinals during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Bolshoy Ice Dome. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Leadership seen worldwide

As late as last week, Jesse Montano of Guerrilla Sports reported that Team Sweden’s 2026 Winter Olympics captain could be Landeskog. In the last Olympics with NHL players, Team Sweden named Landeskog as the alternate captain. His leadership also gains recognition beyond the NHL, even internationally. But one thing is for sure: the Avalanche cannot win another Stanley Cup this year without him in the lineup. Even Team Sweden will need to have Landeskog in their lineup if they want to have any chance for a medal in a couple of weeks.