- Gabriel Landeskog says his surgically repaired right knee feels the best it has since the 2020 bubble
- The Avalanche captain had 35 points in 60 games last season and 11 more in 13 playoff games
- Read below for his full comments on the knee, the Vegas sweep and what he expects this season
Gabriel Landeskog barely needed a second when he was asked to name the last time he felt this good physically.
“Since going into the bubble,” the Avalanche captain told NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika.
That answer carries some weight in Denver. The bubble is where all of it started, on Aug. 30, 2020 in Edmonton, when Cale Makar’s skate blade cut Landeskog’s right knee during a playoff game.
He played through the pain and lifted the Stanley Cup in 2022. Then he sat out three full seasons, ground through surgeries and setbacks, and thought seriously about walking away.
Six years later the knee is still a maintenance job, just not the one that nearly ended his career. Landeskog put it plainly.
“It’s not anybody’s healthy knee. But it’s pretty close to it, and the more time passes, the stronger I get.”
His 2025-26 season said the same thing. The 33-year-old played 60 regular season games and finished with 35 points on 14 goals and 21 assists, then added 11 points in 13 playoff games. Broken ribs in January cost him time. The knee did not.
Watch Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon go through it at Avalanche media day this week:
Camp opened Thursday in Centennial, and Landeskog is skating through a full one for the first time since 2021:
Landeskog was also asked whether Makar’s injury explained Colorado getting swept by Vegas in the Western Conference Final. He agreed it was a big part of it, then refused to stop there.
“Every time you don’t win, if you’re looking for excuses, you’re going to find them, no problem. I just chalk it up to as we picked the worst time to play our worst hockey of the season.”
He is not treating this year as a bonus season either. “I am expecting myself to take another step,” he said. “I’ve had a great summer. There’s a huge difference from 12 months ago.”
Take a look at what the two of them expect out of 2026-27:
Colorado still has some sorting out to do. Makar is limited to start camp, and Jared Bednar is coaching the final year of his deal without an extension in place. The Avalanche open against the Kings at Ball Arena on Sept. 30.
