One thing that cannot be understated is the importance of captains in the NHL. In the case of the Colorado Avalanche, they have a tremendous leader in Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog is set to make his regular season return after three seasons away because of a tragic injury, and he’s already helping out the team’s younger players.
On Wednesday, it was reported that 2024 seventh-round draft pick Nikita Prishchepov leaned on Landeskog during morning skate, asking him “a lot” of questions.
Landeskog has been helping lead the practice a lot. Nikita Prishchepov has been attached at his side and asking A LOT of questions and you can see that Landeskog is glad to help. The Captain is back in his element. #Avs #GoAvsGo @HockeyMtnHighCO
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) August 27, 2025
The beauty of these skates is that players from different areas get to participate. For instance, Eagles players are obviously able to join the Avalanche players and that sort of thing can go a long way in development. It also is a huge bonus that Landeskog spent a little bit of time last season with the Eagles in preparation for his Avs return.
Landeskog helping out the organization’s younger players is just what you would expect from the Avalanche captain. He obviously has missed being a part of the team and he’s showing why they named him the youngest captain in NHL history when he was just 19 years and 286 days old. That record was broken by Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.
I believe that Landeskog’s guidance could also help in terms of player confidence as the younger players look to try and make a name for themselves and try to stick with the Avalanche. I don’t know how much room there is for some of the younger players, but at some point during the season, Eagles players will be called up. Landeskog’s guidance could help those players keep their feet under them and be comfortable in the Avalanche’s system.
One thing that I personally have learned in life is that there are some people that are afraid to ask questions. I’ve been that person. Being able to lean on a leader like Landeskog will help other players be comfortable doing that, too. Prishchepov isn’t only helping himself, but the rest of the players who were nearby when he was leaning on the captain.
The longer Landeskog plays, the more younger prospects can lean on him and help shape the future of the team. That’s such a huge step in a positive direction that any team can benefit from if they have the right guys. Prishchepov is just one player that I’m intrigued by in terms of his future. I think that he’ll be a very good player for the Avalanche in time.
When Landeskog’s career is over—and trust me, I hope it’s not for a while—I would love to see him take on a role with the team like Andrew Cogliano did. It would be awesome to still have him part of the team in some capacity. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if he decided not to do that. Of course, I would never want to speak on his behalf. I’m just saying what I’d like to happen.
Whether he decides to do that or not, one thing that cannot be taken away is Landeskog’s friendships on the team and even throughout the entire NHL. He’s a well-respected veteran player and the league is lucky to have him.