Gabriel Landeskog has turned into Jared Bednar’s quiet problem solver this postseason, sliding up and down the lineup and jump-starting whatever group needs a pulse. Through five playoff games, he is hovering around a point-per-game pace and has stacked up clutch moments in tight finishes. On Monday, he was named a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, a neat shorthand for a comeback that has reshaped the Colorado Avalanche depth chart.
Bednar's Trusted Fixer
Bednar has not hesitated to move Landeskog wherever the Avalanche needs help, dropping his captain onto three different lines and watching each unit look sharper with him on the ice. Landeskog’s production has stayed near a point per game through those five postseason outings, and he buried a late, game-tying goal in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Kings, the kind of timing that makes a coach lean on you even more. Bednar called him “one of the top players in the league” and said he thinks Landeskog “should win” the Masterton, according to the Denver Gazette.
Masterton Nod And The Comeback
The NHL formally saluted Landeskog’s road back on Monday, naming him one of three finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and spotlighting a multi-year recovery that included a knee cartilage-replacement procedure. The league’s announcement noted that he returned to the NHL after several major knee surgeries and framed his comeback as exactly the sort of perseverance the Masterton is meant to honor, per NHL.com. That mix of hard numbers and hard miles is what makes his role as a movable impact piece so valuable.
What It Means For The Series
Landeskog’s small, physical details, winning key puck battles, and important draws have been classic playoff currency for Bednar’s chessboard. A clutch face-off win he secured in the opening game of the second round set up Cale Makar’s go-ahead goal, and Colorado turned that into a 9-6 Game 1 win in a 15-goal track meet, according to local postgame coverage at Colorado Hockey Now. If Landeskog keeps showing up in those moments, he will remain one of Bednar’s simplest and most effective levers as the series rolls on.
