Strike 2: Having Cartilage replacement knee surgery and then being able to walk and function normally, much less ice skate, is a true blessing. For that, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog should be grateful.
But it’s not enough. Landeskog – along with every Avs fan anywhere on this planet – is pulling for the near impossible: Him donning an Avs sweater once again for a return to the NHL ice.
Sadly, that’s not going to happen.
After helping lead the Avs to a Stanley Cup victory in June of 2022, Landeskog suffered a knee injury that actually exacerbated an issue that first appeared two years earlier, when he caught a skate blade from a teammate. Since then, he’s had four surgeries, including one that included having a cadaver’s ligament stitched into his knee.
Professional athletes simply don’t come back from this injury. Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls is trying to this season, but after missing two full seasons, thus far he’s only played in three of his team’s 18 games (not all the time off is due to his knee, according to the team.) And he’s not on skates nor is anyone whacking him with a stick repeatedly.
Simply put, no NHL player has ever come back from this kind of surgery for good reason. And while Landeskog continues to work his tail off in an effort to rehabilitate fully, reports say he continues to suffer setback after setback. There’s no plan nor a timetable for his return.
Maybe his body is trying to tell the 32-year-old Swede something?
The whole scenario should be telling the Avalanche something as well: It’s time for the player and the organization to move on.
Landeskog is revered in the Colorado dressing room. Replacing him on the ice has proven to be hard enough. Replacing his leadership may be even more difficult. That doesn’t mean it’s not finally time to rip off the band aid and give it a try. It’s never going to be any easier.
It’s time to gently slide Landy into an assistant coaching position where he can still benefit the team. (He seems like the kind of player with a coaching future anyway.)
Reports say that MVP Nathan MacKinnon doesn’t want the “C” on his sweater, that he’s fine with the “A” for alternate captain. Fine.
That leaves the job of becoming the new Avalanche captain/leader to the other alternate, Cale Makar, who happens to be the best defenseman in the NHL. And that matters. A lot.
Because of his success on the ice, Makar already has followers. It already matters what he does and says. The transition should not be that difficult for him.
Every leader has a distinctive style. Some are more vocal than others. No one can accurately say what kind of captain Makar would ultimately be, nor what kind of leadership style he might embrace. But the point is, sitting around waiting and hoping for Landeskog to miraculously return and resume playing effectively – along with his captaincy – is pure fallacy. They’ve played without him for more than two years now with moderate, if not ultimate, success. Perhaps making a subtle change can even improve things?
At some point everyone is going to have to finally move past all this, so why not start right now? Give the “C” to the 26-year-old superstar with more than 335 games and 366 goals under his belt. He’s earned the chance, and his team needs him.
