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Avalanche fans stunned after new data reveals who their true MVP is so far this season
Photo credit: Julio Aguilar / Mile High Sticking
The 2025-26 Colorado Avalanche may well have an unexpected MVP this season, Gabriel Landeskog. While most eyes are on stars like Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar, Landeskog's return appears to be injecting a different kind of spark into the lineup. The recent article argues that when Landeskog is on the ice, the team performs far better, and now that he's back and even found the scoresheet with his first goal since 2021-22 on November 11, the intangible case for him is growing.
MacKinnon and Makar are still flying, Makar remains the league's top-scoring defenseman in 2025-26 and MacKinnon leads forwards in points and goals.
The Avalanche's early MVP choice will leave you speechless.
Graham Tiedtke from Mile High Sticking writes that alone makes them obvious MVP candidates. But Landeskog's long absence exposed how volatile the Avalanche looked without his stabilizing presence, and this season he hasn't just returned, he's re-established the kind of leadership and "team heartbeat" that can't be measured by goals and assists alone.
And fans can feel it when he's around; the locker-room respect, the subtle accountability, the extra push on defense, that "it's on me" energy. This feels like the kind of veteran leadership that bridges youthful potential and consistent performance.
If Landeskog keeps staying healthy and remains a regular in the lineup, I could see him finishing among the top candidates for the team's MVP. That doesn't undercut MacKinnon or Makar, it just acknowledges that the Avalanche's success often hinges on more than production.
And if his presence continues to elevate the room the way it has early on, the conversation around Colorado's true MVP could get a lot more interesting.
Landeskog's impact goes beyond the scoresheet, it steadies the lineup, drives the team's identity, and fills a void no one else on the roster can replicate.
In a season where every edge matters, that kind of influence might end up being the Avalanche's biggest difference-maker.
This season, keeping Landeskog healthy might be as valuable as any hot streak or scoring surge.
Previously on Colorado Hockey Daily
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 30 | 33 ANSWERS Avalanche fans stunned after new data reveals who their true MVP is so far this season Is Gabriel Landeskog the most valuable player on the Colorado Avalanche? | ||
| Yes | 8 | 24.2 % |
| No | 25 | 75.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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