LANDESKOG SHUT DOWN FOR PLAYOFFS
What will be the real story on what turned out to be a fiasco for player and team?
Press conference coming up soon, but the news is already out: Gabe Landeskog has officially been ruled out from playing in the playoffs. The knee just didn’t respond well enough.
We’ll finally hear from Landeskog in a press conference soon, and we’ll react to that here.
But this is the news that Avs fans didn’t want to hear. Instead of having one of the best power forwards in the league coming back to their lineup just in time for the playoffs, the team leader and captain, the Avs now get none of that.
Some tough questions to ask, in the aftermath:
Did someone in the Avs medical staff/team of doctors screw up? Remember how the team said he’d only miss 12 weeks, after another knee surgery in October?
Why did Landeskog, essentially, take a leave of absence from the team around the Christmas holiday and be treated/train by/with people outside of the team?
Why did Landeskog come back from that time in Toronto and Philly, away from the team, not fully recovered and able to skate much?
Why didn’t Avs GM Chris MacFarland better anticipate that this might happen and go out and get another top player with that LTIR cap room that Landy’s status provided?
I have no idea on this, but I’m thinking this has the chance to get ugly, when all is said and done. Something doesn’t smell right on this whole thing.
If the Avs fall short of another Stanley Cup, it can’t all be blamed on this situation. Of course not. But, the fact of the matter is, this whole story has a lot of unanswered questions and you, the fan, deserve some honest answers.
Stay tuned…
They blew the LTIR opportunity, a chance to upgrade the team, and still get him back for the playoffs. Color this anyway you want, and the Avs management has been the star of the NHL, they botched this good, there are no excuses that will change this. Medical and training staff, sure, Gabe, maybe some, but this lands on the shoulders of Joe and Chris.
I think the biggest issue is the mismanagement of LTIR. Prior to the trade deadline, Landeskog did not appear close at all to make it back by now. The team really could have used a scorer for the 2nd line and another depth defenseman. The lack of depth may hurt more than the loss of Landeskog.