Aarif Deen
Colorado Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog was named one of the three finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, it was announced on Monday. The Masterton is awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
Each season, every chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association picks a representative for the team they cover. For the second year in a row, Landeskog was selected by my colleagues and me. After that, a final vote was sent to every member of the PHWA. Each member is to select their top three winners from the 32 selections, in order, and the votes are then tallied to determine the winner, runner-up, and third-place finisher.
The 33-year-old Colorado forward returned late last April in the middle of a first-round series against the Dallas Stars after missing nearly three years of hockey, undergoing a knee cartilage replacement surgery that had never before been successful for an NHL player.
He ended up falling short of the honor in 2025, with Sean Monahan of the Columbus Blue Jackets receiving the most first-place votes in the end.
Not only is his comeback impressive enough, but his ability to return to being a capable and valuable top-six forward is all the more remarkable. Landeskog currently has two goals and five points in as many playoff games. However, the award is for regular-season play, where he compiled 14 goals and 35 points in 60 games, along with a career-high +29 rating.
Landeskog needed time to get going offensively, recording four points, all assists, in his first 16 games. From that point forward, he had 31 points in 44 games, which is on par with a 58-point pace over a full season. The Avs were a dominating 45-7-8 with him in the lineup and just 10-9-3 without.
He missed 22 regular-season games. Not because of the knee ailment, but for two injuries that, alone, could’ve earned him a Masterton vote. In January, Landeskog stumbled while fighting for a loose puck and went crashing into the Florida Panthers’ goalpost. He broke a rib and missed several weeks.
Upon returning, Landeskog later took a Cale Makar slap shot to the groin and missed even more time for that.
The other two finalists are Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews.