Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Avalanche have struggled mightily at times this season, despite being a team that looked like they could make some noise in the Western Conference.

Some of that has been due to injury, a lot of that has been due to a complete lack of talent on the defensive end. Gabriel Landeskog is doing his best to help stifle the woes that have plagued this club all season.

Landeskog missed a stretch of games earlier this season due to a concussion. He came in primed looking for a big year in his follow up to his Calder Trophy campaign of 2011-2012. He was named captain of the Avalanche and standing on the cusp of becoming a star.

The injury set him back early on this year, limiting him to just 18 games on the season. But he’s picking his play up right now, though the Avalanche aren’t exactly following suit.

Landeskog has 11 points on the season. Five of those points have come in the last four games. He has a four-game point streak, with goals in each of those games. He’s playing really solid hockey. He’s having a positive effect on his linemates as well, including one in particular: Ryan O’Reilly.

The two have thrived together, just as they did last season. After a quiet start to the season, concussion or not, Landeskog’s recent rise could certainly be attributed to reuniting with O’Reilly. O’Reilly has eight points in 10 games since re-joining the Avalanche after his long contract dispute.

There’s no doubt that Gabriel Landeskog is earning his ‘C’ right now. He’s playing very good hockey and leading back example. If only this team was competent on defense, they might be in a better position to be a real threat in the Western Conference.