Avalanche’s Landeskog wins 2026 Masterton, Messier awards
It was a Tuesday to remember for Colorado Avalanche left winger and captain Gabriel Landeskog, who was named as the winner of both the Masterton Trophy and the Mark Messier Leadership Award for the 2025-26 season.
Landeskog, who returned to NHL action for his first full season since a knee injury and subsequent complications caused him to miss three full regular seasons, is a first-time winner of both honors.
Over the past four years, Landeskog went through four major surgeries, most notably a knee cartilage replacement operation in May of 2023.
The Swedish power forward was named as one of three finalists for the Masterton, along with Rasmus Dahlin and Jonathan Toews, on May 4.
The Masterton is given “to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey,” and is determined by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
The Mark Messier Leadership Award is presented on a yearly basis to “the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season.”
Landeskog, who has been captain of the Avalanche for over a decade, captained Colorado to one of its best seasons in franchise history.
After first returning during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Landeskog was a regular presence in the Colorado lineup this season, as he appeared in 60 games in which he scored 14 goals and dished out 21 assists for 35 points.
That was good enough to help the Avs cruise to the Presidents’ Trophy as the top team during the regular season, as they finished with a 55-16-11 record that gave them the most points in the NHL by eight.
Colorado kept it rolling early in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, sweeping the Los Angeles Kings in the first round before handling the Minnesota Wild in five contests in the second round, but the Avalanche were swept out of the Western Conference Final by the Vegas Golden Knights.
Landeskog found a new level in the postseason, putting up 11 points in 13 games as he helped lead his team on a push for the Cup.