The injury Gabriel Landeskog sustained in 2020 is one of the biggest “what if” moments for the Colorado Avalanche. With all of the ups and downs they faced in those seasons after he got hurt, what would those teams look like if he were healthy and in the lineup?

During the 2020-21 bubble, he scored 20 goals and 32 assists for 52 points in 54 games, then went on to one-up himself, scoring 30 goals and 29 assists for 59 points in 51 games during the 2021-22 season.

He would then undergo a cartilage transplant in 2023, causing him to miss the next three regular seasons before making his comeback in the 2024-25 season, where he would score a goal and record three assists for four points in five games. 

Before last night's game against the Dallas Stars, Landeskog sat down with the host of NHL Tonight, E.J. Hradek, for NHL Tonight: First Shift on the NHL Network and was interviewed about the past three seasons he missed and how he reflects on it now, fully healthy and back with the team trying to win another Stanley Cup.

It was an injury the NHL world had rarely seen before, and the length of Landeskog's recovery from his setbacks got to the point where people were questioning not only whether he would ever play hockey again, but, if he did come back, what level of player he would be.

It was of real importance not only to come back 100% but to continue that fire to compete, which is what Landeskog expected of himself

“First of all, it was fun being back competing, and I don’t take anything for granted. I enjoy all of it. But I mean, in terms of my game, you get pretty critical pretty quickly, and you wanna be at a certain level… but you’ve also missed, I’ve missed three years, so realistic expectations were important for me to kinda get my mind around last year.”  

Before the injury, he was a 50-60-point player who, while not the most skilled on the team, didn’t need to be. His biggest strength was his leadership, and his skills, paired with Nathan MacKinnon and, at the time, Mikko Rantanen, made one of the most dangerous lines in hockey. 

Despite being 33 years old, you can see the work he puts in, not only on himself but with his teammates, making sure they are on the same page about everything when they're on the ice together.

This past offseason was really his first in years when he was fully healthy and able to enjoy the summer without worrying about rehab or tweaking anything, while getting ready for training camp and getting back into the motion of the NHL regular season.

We're seeing that already this season. Despite being snake-bitten, with some unlucky goals and assists being called back, in seven games he has two goals and two assists for four points and could've easily had more, but it's his body language and how he's looking on the ice that's the most impressive part.

“I’m excited about the off-season that I’ve had, and I’m excited about feeling fresh, and I feel physically even that much better. …Understanding that there is gonna become a day where there’s no more hockey fuels me, and knowing that there's nothing to save it for, just go out there and play your heart out, and then we’ll see where we end up.”  

Appreciating An All-Time Avalanche Captain

While it's way too early to even think about this, you have to appreciate everything not only a hockey team but also a player does for you and his team.

Despite all the heartbreaking losses and glorious comeback wins, there is gonna be a time, whether it be up to the players' choice or not, when they call it quits and retire. Rather, it may be due to age and realizing it's time to hang up the skates, or to an unfortunate injury that impacts a player's career so much that it makes them think deeply about continuing in the sport.

At times, there was a lot of chatter about whether Landeskog could come back from this injury. It wasn’t an average ACL/MCL injury that takes a year out of a player and comes back the next season, but a very serious one that had setbacks that lengthened the rehab process.

Players miss the process that comes with being in the NHL, hanging out with your teammates during games, practices, fights, and training, when you're a part of the team, and miss out on it when you're away from them rehabbing.

“I loved every part of it, the travel, the dinners on the road that we always talk about, the team parties, the flights, the practices, all of it... One day, we take it for granted, but I’ve gotten this almost second chance at it, and I try to spread that to my teammates. I try to tell them ‘you’re gonna miss it one day’…”   

The impact Landeskog has on the Avalanche is irreplaceable; his teammates speak wonders about him, and we should be grateful that he can give us another five-plus years as captain and help lead this team to another Stanley Cup championship.