Gabriel Landeskog knows his name is out there in trade rumors. But until he’s dealt -- if he’s dealt -- all he can do is keep doing his thing as captain of the Colorado Avalanche.
And for the record, he doesn’t want to be traded.
“Whether my name is floating around or not, I’m still approaching the game the same way,” Landeskog said Monday, per the Denver Post. “And that is to spread energy, be a good teammate, work hard and try to get better every day. Me being in trade rumors, that’s nothing I can control.”
It’s been reported that the Avs are asking a big price for the 24-year-old winger, a former second overall draft pick. It remains to be seen if they’ll be willing to lower it. Not too long ago, Landeskog was an untouchable in Colorado. In 2012, he was made captain at 19 years old, just after he’d been named the NHL’s rookie of the year.
But the Avs have fallen off a cliff since Landeskog put up a career-high 65 points in 2013-14, the same season Colorado shocked the hockey world and won the Central Division. So far this season, he has just 14 points (8G, 6A) in 31 games, and the Avs are the NHL’s worst team.
Landeskog is signed through 2020-21 for a cap hit of almost $5.6 million. The assumption is that the Avs will use Landeskog or Matt Duchene, or even both of them, to fix a defense that badly needs fixing, then rebuild around forwards Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Tyson Jost.
That will be easier said than done, but the Avs (13-27-1) have to do something, because whatever they’re doing now isn’t working.