Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is taking home history-making hardware from the 2025-26 season.
The Colorado forward won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, given “to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey,” and the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, presented “to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey.”
Landeskog is the first player in League history to receive both honors and did so in the same season.
Due to injury, Landeskog missed the entirety of the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 regular seasons before making a triumphant return to the lineup in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In his first regular-season action since 2021-22, the Avalanche set a franchise record for points in a campaign with 121 in 2025-26, and Landeskog was a major part of that success. In the 60 regular-season games Landeskog played in 2025-26, the Avalanche went 45-7-8, as opposed to its 10-9-3 record when he wasn’t in the lineup.
“He’s just a void you can’t fill,” Nathan MacKinnon said about Landeskog after Colorado’s win in Game Two of Round Two in 2026. “We waited a long time for him to come back, and it was worth the wait. Every month, he got better this season. It’s a lot of time to come back from. Obviously as a person, just a human, awesome to have around, and he’s one of my good friends, so it makes me happy to see him every day. And I think it makes the whole team happy.”
In 2025-26, Landeskog posted 35 points (14g/21a) in 60 regular-season games, with 30 of those coming at even-strength.
Brett Kulak, who was acquired by the Avalanche in a mid-season trade, said Landeskog has exceeded his expectations as a leader.
“Coming in here, just the way he brings it every day and sets the tone for the team every day,” Kulak said. “It’s impressive.”
Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar, who has coached Landeskog for 10 seasons, said the captain’s presence makes a huge difference that the players feel, too.
“I just feel like he's one of a kind when it comes to his leadership ability,” Bednar said. “And his experience and what he's done with and for this organization, the players have a ton of respect for him, as do the coaching staff, management group, everyone.”
It's not just members of the Avalanche organization that have respect for Landeskog, though. Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews said Landeskog’s timeline to return to play has been incredible.
“[He] has been a great player in this league for a long time and a great leader and captain of this team for a long time,” Matthews said.
Additionally, Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, who has been an alternate captain for parts of 10 seasons and is the all-time leader in points by a U.S.-born player, said Landeskog’s drive and determination is great.
"I think he epitomizes just never giving up," Kane said. “To be out for that long, few years, and come back in the playoffs. And now he’s playing [and is a] full-time player. It’s really a testament to his drive and his attitude to the love of the game.”
John Tavares, who served as a team captain for the Maple Leafs and New York Islanders across 10 seasons, said Landeskog is an incredible leader.
“Obviously a lot of credit to him,” Tavares said. “The mental fortitude, the work ethic and drive to get back and to play. And I think it’s obvious the impact that he makes, just looking from the outside as the leader that he is.”
Before this campaign’s training camp, Landeskog said he was excited to have an off-season where there weren’t any questions of whether or not he’d play in 2025-26.
“Really excited to just have an off-season in the bank now,” Landeskog said. “And going into training camp as if I'm just anybody else on the team.”
While he may be just one of 23 players on the Avalanche, MacKinnon said it best after Colorado’s win in Game Four of Round One in 2025.
“There’s only one Gabe Landeskog in the world.”
