Landy For Calder

Lets go back to the Avalanche's OT win at home against Anaheim. What is the main thing you can remember from that game? What a shot by Landeskog! For a guy who was too sick to take to the morning skate to go into overtime and blast the winner behind hot goalie Jonas Hiller, he is making it awfully hard for the generally east-biased Calder Trophy voters to peg Adam Henrique with the coveted first year prize. If I had a vote, I would put a big fat checkmark in the box beside LANDESKOG on the ballot sheet. He deserves it, and this game was the perfect example as to why. And on national television nonetheless. Great nationwide exposure for the rookie who plays on a team that seems to have been forgotten by those out east.

Landeskog was kind of invisible throughout the game. He played just under 17:00 and was a +1. He had three shots on goal, and played 1:12 on the powerplay. He had an extremely solid game with no defensive miscues. He absolutely destroyed Ducks Lubomir Visnovsky then went through the rest of the game without any flashy plays, huge chances in front of the net, or thundering body checks. But this is what makes him so special. He was not the center of attention as he has been so many nights before. He was not one of McGuire’s Monsters, and he did not reach the score sheet until overtime, but he was an effective player for the Avs and his play made a difference.

This is why Landeskog has my vote for the Calder. He doesn’t need a huge offensive game to be one of the biggest difference makers on the ice. He makes those around him better even when he does not reach the score sheet. He plays hard, smart, responsible hockey. He hits hard, and often; he always gets pucks to the net (just one SOG away from breaking the all-time franchise mark for shots on goal by a rookie, set by Peter Stastny in Quebec), and he just doesn’t stop. Now if someone were to read this and have no knowledge of any player on the Avs, they would be absolutely shocked to find out that he is only 19 years old!!!!! He can’t legally have a beer at a steakhouse in Denver and he is one of the most effective players in the league!

Landeskog will more than likely go up against Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (EDM) and Adam Henrique (NJD) for the Calder. Henrique and Hopkins won’t win. But we will save that blurb for another blog.