It's been two years since Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog played with his team but he did not disappear as one of its leaders. He has been present off the ice as much as possible to support his teammates through the seasons he missed.
"It's a different dynamic, obviously. And I think at the end of the day it's hard to sort of — you're going through mental gymnastics on your own to get your mind right, to just keep going, keep putting one foot in front of the other for your own health and for your own career sake," Landeskog said. "And at the same time, kind of be that sounding board for the guys, right? Like you're sort of torn there between the two, but at the end of the day, you just try to kind of be there for the guys, support them, however they need to be supported."
The Avs made the playoffs the last two seasons without Landeskog in the lineup, but only got as far as the second round. The team adjusted to playing without him, while he figured out his role from afar.
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"It's been pretty organic and it's been really nice to be around the team since December. You know, and especially now down the stretch being on the road and all of a sudden you just feel like you're more part of the team again," Landeskog said. "You're missing out on road trips, you're missing out on quite a bunch but proud of the way the guys have battled all season long."
While the 31-year-old forward has been sidelined, he has continued to be a leader in the locker room and off the ice. He is part of the leadership group that motivates the team overall.
"There's so much leadership in that room, there's never really been a doubt for me, there's never really been a question of 'do I need to talk to this guy? Do I need to do this, do I need to check in with him?' ... ," Landeskog said. "Never really surprised by what this group is doing, you know, led by, obviously Nate (MacKinnon) and Cale (Makar) like you say, but also Mikko (Rantanen) and Cogs (Andrew Cogliano) and Taser (Devon Toews). There's plenty of guys in there with obviously winning pedigrees, but guys that are just always driven to do better so it's been fun to see from the sidelines."
It should be very fluid for the 6-foot-1 Swede to return to his to role as captain when he rejoins the team on the ice. He said it was difficult to get acquainted with new players while he was dealing with his rehabilitation process, but was able to once he rejoined the team in December.
"That was one of the challenges for me this season — early first half, I wasn't even around. I'd come in and out, try to get to know guys but that's the challenge every year is how do you do your thing? And especially now, last two years, you know I rehab, try to get right physically and at the same time be there for the guys and get to know them," Landeskog said.
The team's chemistry is established through commitment and determination which is built on road trips and spending time together. Although Landeskog missed a big part of that early on this season, he believed in his team and its ability to win games.
"They're all quality people that we brought in this locker room and just takes more time because I've been away so much. I missed a lot but I love the guys in our locker room — the new guys, I mean they're all quality people.
"It's a fun group to be a part of, and you know just excited for the day when you're no longer really on the sidelines where you can be part of all of it, that's where I'm most comfortable," Landeskog said.
The team and its captain are hoping that he will be back on the ice sometime next season but there is no definite timeline or guarantee that he will return.
When asked about a return date, Landeskog replied "Mid-September, start of April — I feel pretty good about it" with a laugh.
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