Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is week to week with a leg injury, the team announced Sunday, March 8, adding fresh uncertainty to one of the NHL‘s top contenders. That news lands as the latest NHL Power Rankings show Colorado among the four best clubs in the league by points — a standing now under real pressure without its captain in the lineup.

The Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 on Sunday to improve to 43-10-9, but Landeskog sat out that game. With roughly two months left in the regular season, his absence hits Colorado at the worst possible stretch — right when clubs are fighting hard for playoff seeding.

Landeskog’s Injury History and What It Means for Colorado

This is not Landeskog’s first health scare this season. The Swedish captain missed over a month earlier in the 2025-26 campaign with a leg ailment before returning to suit up for Sweden at the Winter Olympics in Italy last month. Back-to-back physical setbacks for a 30-year-old power forward raise real durability concerns heading into the stretch run.

His impact goes well beyond raw counting stats. Landeskog drives puck battles along the boards, wins zone entries in the offensive end, and gives Colorado’s top-six forward group a physical edge that no other player on the roster fully copies. When he sits, the Avalanche lose that net-front presence and the board battles that create high-danger chances in close.

Colorado’s penalty kill and five-on-five structure do not fall apart without him — the Avs are deep enough to absorb one absence — but the margin for error shrinks fast. The numbers suggest Colorado’s offensive zone time drops when Landeskog is not drawing defenders and winning puck battles below the circles. That is a real gap, not a minor tweak to the lineup.

How Landeskog’s Status Shifts the NHL Power Rankings Picture

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Colorado’s spot in the NHL Power Rankings stays strong for now, but a long absence from Landeskog changes the math. The Avalanche sit at 43-10-9, which puts them among the NHL’s elite clubs by points. That is a dominant record. But the teams chasing them — including Minnesota, who pushed Colorado to the final buzzer Sunday — are not backing off.

The Wild matchup Sunday was billed as a clash between two of the league’s top point-getters, and it delivered a tight, physical contest that Colorado won by one goal. That razor-thin margin shows how little separates the top seeds in the Western Conference right now. A week-to-week absence from your captain can flip a first-round bye into a tougher bracket fast.

A clear pattern has formed across the league’s top contenders this March: depth wins. Clubs that have absorbed injuries and held their place in the standings — through sharp goaltending, reliable shutdown pairs, and efficient power play execution — are the ones holding the best spots in the weekly poll. Colorado has that depth, but Landeskog’s two-way value is not easily replaced off the bench.

Key Developments: Avalanche News and League Context

Here is a fast summary of where things stand for Colorado and the broader Western Conference race as of March 8, 2026.

• Gabriel Landeskog was listed as week to week with a leg injury by the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, March 8, 2026.
• Landeskog had already missed more than a month earlier this season with a leg ailment before returning to play for Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
• On the season, Landeskog has posted nine goals and 20 assists in 47 games for Colorado.
• Colorado improved to 43-10-9 with a 3-2 win over Minnesota on Sunday, a game framed as a clash between two of the NHL’s top point-getters.
• ESPN’s updated 1-32 NHL Power Rankings poll, released this week, includes each team’s top scheduled game in March as part of its league-wide assessment.

What Happens Next for the Avalanche and the Western Conference Race

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Colorado’s front office and coaching staff now face a familiar challenge: keep the wins coming without their captain while managing his workload for a playoff push. The Avalanche have the roster depth to stay near the top of the league’s weekly poll — strong forward depth and quality defensive pairs give head coach Jared Bednar real options — but the week-to-week tag on Landeskog means this situation could drag into late March.

The 2026 NHL trade deadline already passed, and Colorado made moves to address depth needs. ESPN’s trade grades for the Avalanche’s acquisition of Nazem Kadri drew attention across the league, with the outlet flagging the deal as a positive for both Colorado and the Calgary Flames. That added center depth now matters even more with Landeskog sidelined, giving the Avs a veteran option to absorb top-six minutes.

For fantasy hockey managers, Landeskog’s current status is a clear signal to check the waiver wire. His absence opens ice time for Colorado’s supporting forwards, and players like Evander Kane — already flagged as a pickup target in ESPN’s weekly waiver wire column this week — could see added value depending on line combinations. The salary cap picture for Colorado also bears watching as the playoff bracket sharpens and clubs make final adjustments.

The Western Conference standings will shift over the next two to three weeks. Minnesota, fresh off a narrow road loss to Colorado, sits right in the mix. Every point matters now, and the Avalanche need their supporting cast to step up fast. Playoff seeding in the West is tight enough that dropping two or three games during Landeskog’s recovery could cost Colorado home-ice advantage in the first round — a big swing in a conference this competitive.