The Colorado Avalanche are looking to acquire a stud defenseman, and Gabe Landeskog is the main man behind the rumors; unfortunately, Landy is not valuable enough to acquire a game-changing defenseman.
The Colorado Avalanche are currently searching for a way to upgrade their blueline; unfortunately Gabe Landeskog is not valuable enough to acquire the type of defenseman the Avs need.
Don’t get me wrong, Landeskog is a real good player and the character he brings along with him should be a valuable asset to any team.
However, he’s just not the type of player capable of bringing home a real good No. 1 defenseman — the Avs have the Oilers to thank for that. The Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson trade set that price astronomically high, and Larsson is debatably a No. 1 defenseman.
Granted, Hall has struggled with injuries, and he’s only had two seasons where he has put up a point per game or more.
Still, the asking price is pretty high for Gabe Landeskog right now. This from TSN’s Darren Dreger:
"We’re talking about a top-level defenseman, a first-round draft pick, plus [more]."
If I’m a team interested in Gabe Landeskog, there’s no way I’m making that trade. Nonetheless, Joe Sakic has every right to demand that price. He’d be trading his captain, a 60 pt. player locked up for the next four years at 5.5 million essentially, and a real good power forward left winger.
There are teams that desperately need that type of player too. They don’t just grow on trees, just like No. 1 defensemen don’t just grow on trees. However, it might as well be a pipe dream to expect a Landeskog for top-level defenseman trade.
Gabe Landeskog is Not Having a Good Year
The whole team is struggling this year, and Landy did get derailed by injury, but his performance this season has not been impressive.
His point per game pace is the lowest of his career at .45. He’s registered five points in fourteen games since returning from injury. And — as the captain — he can’t seem to get this group to compete. That’s his job.
It is difficult to be too hard on him though because the entire team is struggling, and he does have some pretty impressive intangibles.
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For example, he has the third highest Corsi-for percentage on the team. He leads the team in takeaways with 34, and he’s only played 29 games. Furthermore, his +24 ratio between takeaways and giveaways is also the highest on the team.
But is that enough for a team to trade a valuable defenseman, a first round pick, and most likely a prospect in order to acquire his rights? Not to my estimation. Although, he’d almost certainly perform better on a team that’s trending in the right direction.
And, I suppose trades are always a risk on both ends, as far as chemistry is concerned. You trade for what you believe that player will bring to your team, but you don’t know the impact they will have until you see that player in action.
Conclusion
The Colorado Avalanche need a defenseman, that much is clear. But, Gabe Landeskog is not going to bring them the type of defenseman they need. The value just isn’t there.
I’m not saying that Joe Sakic should lower the price for Landeskog, I’m just saying that Avs fans should not expect Landy to bring home the type of defenseman we all covet.
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Obviously Sakic needs to set the price high though so he doesn’t get lowballed. However, it’s too much to expect Landy to bring home a top-level defenseman, a first round pick, and a prospect.
Realistically, Avs fans should expect losing a prospect like A.J. Greer or J.T. Compher in any trade that involves Landy and a top-level defenseman.
But hey, maybe that’s just me. What do you guys think about Landy’s value and the potential return he could demand? Drop a line in the comments.