Avalanche cut it close; sign captain Gabriel Landeskog to 8-year deal
Anthony Scultore
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There was some doubt all the way up to the moment Gabriel Landeskog signed his new deal with the Colorado Avalanche. “I can’t help but be honest with you that I’m a little bit disappointed that it’s gotten this far and it’s had to come to this point,” Landeskog said last week. “We’ll see what happens. I’m still hopeful that we can agree on something and come to terms.”
Both parties obviously had a desire to get this done, and when push came to shove the two sides agreed on a contract.
The Avs Captain is committed to stay with the only team he’s ever known through the 2028-29 season after signing an eight-year deal with the club on late Tuesday night.
Though the Avalanche didn’t announce financial terms of the contract, TSN reported that Landeskog will make $7 million per year.
Gabriel Landeskog signs 8 year deal with Avalanche
The new pact for the 28-year-old left winger was announced minutes before the deadline for teams to give their own players eight-year contracts. The limit starting Wednesday is seven years.
Landeskog was about to become an unrestricted free agent.
“We are thrilled to have our captain signed to a long-term deal,” Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said after the signing. “Gabe is the heart and soul of this team and an integral part of our organization both on the ice and in the community. He’s the consummate leader, a great teammate, and alongside [Nathan] MacKinnon and [Mikko] Rantanen, is part of what has been one of the NHL’s best lines over the past four seasons. We are excited to have ‘Landy’ in an Avalanche sweater for many years to come.”
The Sweden native has played all 10 of his NHL seasons in Colorado, and he has served as the captain for the past nine seasons.
Landeskog finished with 20 goals and 32 assists in 54 games last season, his eighth 20-plus-goal season and his seventh 50-plus-point season.
In 687 career regular-season games, he has 218 goals and 294 assists with a plus-50 rating. Landeskog had 16 goals and 29 assists in 49 playoff games. He won the Calder Trophy (top rookie) in 2011-12 immediately after the Avalanche selected him with the second overall pick in the 2011 draft.
Landeskog ranks third in goals during the franchise’s Colorado era, trailing only Joe Sakic (391) and Milan Hejduk (375).
The Avalanche won the Presidents’ Trophy as the top regular-season team in 2020-21, but they were ousted in the second round of the playoffs by the Vegas Golden Knights.
–Field Level Media contributed to this article