Landeskog Out 12 Weeks Following Knee surgery
The Colorado Avalanche announced Wednesday that captain Gabriel Landeskog will miss the next 12 weeks after he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.
Landeskog has yet to suit up this season, and while he has resumed skating recently, his knee began to bother him and led to Wednesday’s procedure. Landeskog missed the final 23 games of the 2021-22 season after knee surgery but was able to return for the Stanley Cup playoffs, posting 22 points in 20 games en route to a Stanley Cup championship.
Landeskog’s absence is not insignificant on the heels of a 59-point season across 51 regular-season contests. However, the Avalanche also have considerable depth among their forward corps. Just how significant is Landeskog’s absence when it comes to betting Avalanche futures?
Avalanche Heavy Western Conference Favorites
In addition to being favorites to win the Central Division, the Avalanche are heavy favorites to win the Western Conference, sitting at +200, with the Calgary Flames checking in with the second-shortest odds at +600, as per BetOnline.
Landeskog’s return will obviously come well before the postseason, sometime in mid-to-late January. However, the Avs would be worse to position themselves for a deep postseason run by weathering the storm while their captain is out of the lineup. Items such as home-ice advantage loom large in the NHL postseason, and Colorado made good use of it a season ago.
The run to a second consecutive Conference Final will not be easy. The Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and even Vegas Golden Knights figure to be tough postseason outs. Even the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars could be Central-division threats if Colorado isn’t careful and takes care of business while Landeskog is on the shelf.
Not only are the Avalanche big betting favorites to win the west, but also substantial favorites to repeat as Stanley Cup champs.
Avalanche Remain Cup Favorites
Even with Wednesday’s news, the Avs remain Stanley Cup favorites with +450 odds to repeat. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the only other NHL team sporting triple-digit Stanley Cup odds at +800, while the Carolina Hurricanes also stand between the Avs and Flames at +1000, with Calgary checking in at +1200.
Obviously, this comes as no surprise. Landeskog’s meaning to this team cannot be understated both from a performance and leadership standpoint. The Swede is a regular on the top line and top power-play unit; however, while it appears, Valeri Nichushkin will take over those spots for the captain.
All told, there is still value in these odds. Not only should Colorado remain an elite team in Landeskog’s absence, but let’s also not forgot just how good this team is on the back end. With Cale Makar a heavy Norris Trophy favorite, the team is already in good hands on the blueline before factoring in the dynamic play of Devon Toews, Samuel Girard, and Bowen Byram.
It would be shocking to see an early postseason exit for this club, so don’t let Landeskog’s long-term absence discourage you from laying down on the club’s betting futures both in the west and beyond.
