Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is forever grateful for his place in hockey.
“There’s never been a day where I pulled that jersey over my head and I’m not grateful for it,” the beloved Avalanche captain says in episode four of Amazon’s new behind-the-scenes docuseries “FACEOFF: Inside the NHL.”
The series, which premieres on Prime on Friday, is an eye-opening look at Landeskog's attempt to return from a knee injury.
Will the Avalanche see their captain pull that jersey over his head again? That remains to be seen. If he never makes it back, it won’t be for a lack of trying.
The six-part docuseries, which shines the spotlight on a dozen NHL stars, is the type of show NHL fans have been dying for since the days of HBO’s “24/7,” which focused on two teams playing in the Winter Classic. It gives fans a peek behind the curtain into the day-to-day lives of hockey's stars on and off the ice.
The NHL provided The Denver Gazette with all six episodes in an advanced screening. The one Avalanche fans will be particularly interested in is episode four, titled “Captains.”
The three men wearing the “C” are Landeskog, Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes, and New York’s Jacob Trouba.
(Spoiler alert: The following contains a few teasers for the show, so if you want to go in fresh, you could stop reading now.)
Each episode is roughly 50 minutes. While Landeskog isn’t the main focus of his episode, he is prominently featured in it, starting with the unfortunate genesis of his knee issues — the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Landeskog discusses how the skate cut he received on his right leg lacerated his quadricep muscle, an injury that slowly got worse and worse. After helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in June 2022, he could no longer play on it, which is how he ultimately ended up undergoing cartilage transplant surgery in May 2023.
Landeskog discusses the ups and downs of rehab, but also the one benefit of not playing the last two seasons — the time he’s been able to spend with his wife and young kids. There’s even a cute moment where Landeskog gets interrupted mid-interview by his daughter to look at one of her dolls floating in water.
Dad stuff.
For fans who appreciate behind-the-scenes access, you’ll get plenty: an intermission Jared Bednar speech that may or may not be "NSFW," Landeskog working out while his team is on the ice, and the Avs captain comparing his current situation of a fan to that of a hockey mom.
It’s been over two years since Landeskog last played an NHL game, and you see just how determined he is to put that Avalanche sweater over his head again.
Not just for himself or for his teammates, but for his kids to see him play again.
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What I’m hearing
Your daily report on everything sports in Colorado - covering the Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and columns from Woody Paige and Paul Klee.
—Jared Bednar didn’t mince words this week. He was hoping more forwards would have stepped up and seized the opportunity to earn an NHL spot in camp. It’s rare for this team to have one roster spot up for grabs, let alone three. Several players didn’t meet expectations, but one player who has lived up to the hype is Nikolai Kovalenko.
Kovalenko got an opportunity to play with some superstars Tuesday and didn’t look out of place. The 24-year-old winger was tough on himself after the preseason game, but his coach again was pleased with his performance.
“Yes, for sure,” Bednar said when asked if Kovalenko was a bright spot. “If you’re talking top-six guys, he’s the one guy that’s making the push for that position right now.”
—The Avalanche have only one goaltender signed to an NHL contract beyond this season —Justus Annunen. Current starter Alexandar Georgiev is a pending unrestricted free agent and has a lot to prove this season.
One player who could be a potential option in net next season is 21-year-old Ilya Nabokov, the Avalanche's top draft pick over the summer. He’s currently in the final year of his KHL contract and is coming off a rookie season where he was named playoff MVP while leading his team to a championship. He’s starting to heat up this season with two shutouts in his last five starts, but will he come to North America next year?
That’s still up in the air. What I’m hearing is that a short contract extension in Russia is a possibility, but no final decision has been made. There likely won’t be any clarity on that situation until closer to the new year. If he has another dominant year in the KHL, a new challenge in North America would make sense.
What I’m seeing
—Colorado signed three NHL defensemen this summer to fill out its blueline, but two of them (Erik Brannstrom and Oliver Kylington) have struggled in preseason. Calvin de Haan seems like a lock to start the year on the third pair, and his partner might be 26-year-old Sam Malinski.
The defenseman bulked up this summer and has been a standout in camp and preseason, scoring a very nice end-to-end goal last weekend. He also has the advantage of being a right-shot defenseman, and Bednar loves having players that can play on their strong side.
—No, NHL preseason results don’t matter, but the play of Colorado’s two goaltenders through four games is alarming. Annunen struggled in his full start, giving up a few ugly goals. Georgiev didn’t get a ton of help from the team in front of him in his full game, but six goals against isn’t what you want to see.
The Avs need their goalies to play well early in the year while they’re shorthanded in order to keep their heads above water.
What I’m thinking
—Again, preseason results don’t matter. A reminder that back in 2016-17, the Avalanche picked up just 48 points during the regular season, making them far and away the worst team in the NHL that season. No one could have seen that coming after the preseason. Why? They went undefeated in those meaningless games. Something to keep in mind.
—With the NHL season getting underway next week, how about some predictions that will surely look bad in a few months?
Western Conference playoff teams (in no particular order): Dallas, Colorado, Nashville, Utah, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver, Vegas
Eastern Conference playoff teams (no order): New York Rangers, New Jersey, Carolina, Florida, Toronto, Boston, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh
