Gabe Landeskog & Nathan MacKinnon JOKE About Brent Burns, EXPECTS Vegas Series to Go to 7 & More

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Easy to do.

[00:00:10]Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog and forward Nate MacKinnon to take your questions. Once again, please raise your hand and wait for the microphone. We'll start left side, second row.

[00:00:24]Nate, how has the chemistry between you and Martin has developed over the course of the year? What is it about the two of you that seems to mesh so well?

[00:00:32]Um yeah, I think being friends off the ice helps. Uh you know, we get along really well. Um you know, I think we play a similar style which can be good or it um maybe could interfere with each other, but I think we think similarly, so we figured it out. Um you know, obviously like you're Gabe on the left side, uh lots of communication and um but um talk a lot off the ice. Um we have fun on the ice, so it's been good, but we you know, we got to keep it going.

[00:01:00]Right side, front row. Uh Nate, there will be eight other guys on the ice, so it won't just be you against Jack Eichel, but you guys are two of the premier centers in the league and first time facing in the playoffs. Just what are your thoughts on Jack and going head-to-head against him in a series like this?

[00:01:15]Yeah, he's uh one of the best players in the league. Going to be extremely challenging. Um you know, he's a two-way force out there.

[00:01:23]Um you know, big strong guy. Uh yeah, it's going to be a a definitely a team effort uh you know, to take away time and space, but you know, he's going to create. He's just that good. Um hopefully we can limit it.

[00:01:36]Right side, fourth row.

[00:01:38]Gabe, even though this isn't the end goal, can you still appreciate where this team is and how there's no guarantee, like talking to Brock Nelson, the conference finals has been his ceiling. And he appreciates and doesn't take any of these moments for granted.

[00:01:56]Yeah, I I mean, listen, it's it's a step. It's a part of the process. It's uh um not easy to to win a round, period, in this in this league and not easy to make in the playoffs, not easy winning a round and let alone two, but um we got bigger goals and dreams in this.

[00:02:17]That's right, third row, Brian. This is for either Gabe or Kemper. You guys have been here forever and you know what it's like to see like a structure be built in. What is it that Jared has done and also Chris as the GM where you've made defense such a priority that you look at your team now and everyone is so interchangeable to the point where you can trust a variety of players to get the job done like you saw against Minnesota.

[00:02:40]Yeah, I think it's uh I mean listen, a lot of us have been together for for a long time and I think Bedzy has done a good job of of sticking to his his guns, I guess, and sticking to his systems and the way he he sees us playing the game and having success and and then it's about players trusting the system and trusting how we're going to play and how we're going to be successful and and I think over the course of every season you start seeing that click at one point or another.

[00:03:08]Um this year it clicked pretty early and guys start trusting it and then it's just and then when the game's on the line or, you know, different situations out there skill takes over and and guys make plays, but in terms of system and being hard to play against, guys trust it.

[00:03:22]Guys know that it works and and you just have to go out and execute it. So, um Bedzy's done a great job with that.

[00:03:28]That's right, fourth row. Uh Gabe, uh over the last 2 years there've been a lot of new faces coming to this team.

[00:03:35]How have you navigated that as as the captain?

[00:03:39]Uh I think same as just about everybody else, right? Like you Everybody's been the new guy at some point. Everybody knows what that feels like and I think we just try to welcome anybody in with open arms. Um so, I think it's it's really no different for me than anybody else. You just I mean you guys are human first and and you want to feel welcome. You want to feel safe in the environment you're at and and I think that's as a team, that's all we've tried to do with anybody that comes in our doors.

[00:04:08]Right side, second row. Uh, for either of you, while there's a lot of new faces, both these teams have that core of players that have been to the championship and won it recently.

[00:04:17]What layer does that add, that championship pedigree to this series?

[00:04:22]Yeah, it's a lot. I mean, you know, I think they've done it recently just the year after us, so you know, they have a lot of guys who knows what it takes and um, you know, I I just I can't see this being a short series. It's going to be tough and we're ready for a, you know, seven-game year.

[00:04:39]Right side, third row. Gabe, specifically with trade deadline acquisitions, three of those four guys scored game-winning goals against the Wild and Kadri, Lehkonen, and Kulak, did you know that you probably knew they were going to be good, look good on paper, did you think they'd be this good?

[00:04:54]Um, yes and no, I guess you know, we knew they were quality players and we knew trust our staff bringing in guys that they they believe in and that they trust can make a difference, so but I think what's impressed me most about all the guys that we brought in is, uh, you know, how hard they work, how committed they are to playing the right way, and then scoring is just I mean that's a byproduct of playing the right way, putting yourself in the right spots, but um, guys have fit in seamlessly and it's been been really good.

[00:05:26]Right side, standing. Uh, Nate, I remember you talking about after you guys won in '22 about, you know, having a different appreciation and understanding for what it takes to actually go all four rounds. Gabe was just saying like you guys are only halfway there. How how do you manage kind of the mental grind of this time of year and just how does that kind of trickle down to the to the team?

[00:05:45]Yeah, it's it's fun. I mean, it's, uh, it doesn't feel like a grind at all to me. I think we're all having a lot of fun and we've been lucky enough to have a couple breaks in between series, so um you know, the grind is more like January, February, like those months, you know, we're in first and then you reset and it's just so much fun playing.

[00:06:05]I mean, last game was probably the most fun we've all had playing hockey. Um you know, this is what we get up for, so I think everyone's feeling good right now. Right side, second row. This question's for either one of you.

[00:06:20]Gabe, you mentioned that a lot of you guys have been together for a very long time, including head coach Jared Bednar for the last 10 years. Where have you seen him grow the most as a head coach during that time frame?

[00:06:31]Um I don't know, but just probably just a feel for the group, feel for scheduling, feel for what we need, feel for when to push certain but- buttons with the group. Um I think that's probably the number one thing.

[00:06:46]Um you know, he's always had um a good eye for what he wants to see on the ice in terms of systems and and how to to really uh portray that message to the players. Um Another area he's gotten better at is kind of using analytics and numbers and things like that to to to help us with our pre-scouts and whatnot, but I think overall just anytime you have a coach for that long, it um just gels you as a group, but it it just helps everybody really, coaching staff, but also players. Two more, right side, front row. For Nate, in 2022 when you guys won the Cup, you had the second line that was Landeskog, Kadri, and Nichushkin. Obviously, Kadri ended up leaving. I'm sure at times from the outside it felt like Gabe and Val, like they might be here, they might not be here at at certain points in their in the last 3-4 years. Like, when you look at the roster now and those three guys are back, like how much of an impact have they had and then how much can you put on them for you guys getting this far again?

[00:07:45]Yeah, it's everything. I mean, um Naz is our, you know, 3C right now, which is crazy, you know, so um it felt like we were robbed a little bit after we won of uh obviously Gabe being hurt and the flat cap, we couldn't keep Naz, and um you know, then we had guys out every in the playoffs sometimes, and um yeah, I know our playoff success rate recently hasn't been that great, but I think there is some circumstances for that, um and you know, we got some you know, really amazing center depth, I think, and obviously Landy being back, um we're back in the conference finals, so um you know, definitely really proud of that. It's only our second conference finals in 13 15 years, so um it's hard it's really hard to get here, and we're happy to be back.

[00:08:32]Last one, left side, third row, Ryan.

[00:08:34]This one's for Nathan. It's a two-parter. The first is you're so used to seeing guys want to come here and try to win a Cup, so what was it like welcoming Brent Burns into that group, knowing that he's been at this for a while? And second, given he's such a routine-oriented guy, what's it been like sort of seeing him do that? And also, have you been able to kind of pick his brain about how he's been able to do it for this long?

[00:08:53]Yeah, I think with Burns, you can just kind of he sleeps a lot more than anybody. He's like a big bear.

[00:09:01]He'll nap from like 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.

[00:09:02]and go to sleep for another 10 hours.

[00:09:04]It's crazy.

[00:09:05]Uh but I think that's a big reason why he's played so long, and also, he's got such a great attitude. He's like a Everyone says it, he's like a little kid with three kids um himself. Uh so, he's a special guy. He's um super positive, and just super great to be around, so I think that can, you know, on the day-to-day grind, um you know, he's he's coming to the rink with a smile on his face, and I think that's the biggest reason why he's played so long. Um obviously, he has a ton of great stuff he does off the ice, and he's super committed, but I think um you know, those couple things are huge.

[00:09:39]Next slide, guys. Thank you. Thank you.

[00:09:45]All right.