Gabriel Landeskog Jersey Card

When healthy, the best line in the NHL is arguably the Colorado Avalanche's top line, featuring Hart finalist Nathan MacKinnon, young star Mikko Rantanen and captain Gabriel Landeskog. MacKinnon might start feeling like he's on his own for a while, because Rantanen was already out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, and now Landeskog joins him on LTIR with an ailment that head coach Jared Bednar describes as "longer than week to week". Ouch.

At least he'll be around to take care of his newborn baby for the next little while:

Landeskog was a leader and heart-and-soul talented middle-six player for most of his career, his point totals usually in the 50s but oscillating between 35 and 60, but playing on a line wit hRantanen and MacKinnon turned him into a point-per-game player and 30-goal scorer.

Having been drafted second overall in a 2011 class that included the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Scheifele, Jonathan Huberdeau, Sean Couturier, Mika Zibanejad, Dougie Hamilton and Vincent Trochek, Landeskog and first-overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were increasingly looking at arguments beyond points totals to justify being picked ahead of those guys - although both are making a strong case this season that they may have just bloomed a tad later and not been surrounded as well in the beginnings of their careers.

Despite those two very important losses, I feel the Avs are strong and deep enough this year to keep playing acceptable hockey and remain in the playoff race until both star players are back and rested - which might just help them come playoff time.

Here is Landeskog wearing the Avalanche's white (away) Reebok Edge-era uniform with the ugly striping cutting the captain's "C" in half, on card #GJ-GL from Upper Deck's 2017-18 Series 1 set and UD Game Jersey sub-set:

It features a bright/dark blue game-worn jersey swatch that is likely from the home or third jersey.