Denver Post sports writer Bennett Durando opens up the Avs Mailbag periodically throughout the season. Pose an Avalanche- or NHL-related question for the Avs Mailbag.

Will the presence alone of having Gabe Landeskog back in town have an impact on this team? Feels like anytime your captain returns, even during a rehab, would have to change the way the boys are playing at times. 

— Jesse, Denver

Jared Bednar was actually asked earlier this week if there was any correlation between the renewed presence of Gabriel Landeskog and the Avalanche’s three-goal comeback win vs. Edmonton. The 6-5 overtime win last Sunday was Landeskog’s first game back at Ball Arena after arriving in Denver on Friday night. (He had spent chunks of his recovery time in Toronto and Philadelphia.) Almost magically, the Avs rallied for a signature win against a good Oilers team.

The question of Landeskog’s mystical effect was too tempting not to ask. But here’s what Bednar said: “I think the guys are excited to have him back for sure. He hadn’t spent a bunch of time around the (team). He came in on game day, so I’m going to say that’s unrelated in this instance.”

In general, everyone in the Avalanche locker room agrees that having the captain around provides a mental jolt. It’s hard to understate the importance of constructive feedback between peers, which Landeskog provides on a player-to-player level rather than coach-to-player. Now that he’s able to actually approach teammates in the locker room and talk through anything face-to-face, there’s a very tangible benefit to that.

Hi Bennett, what is your favorite arena that you have been to as a reporter? Are there any you still want to check off your list?

— Amanda, LoDo 

Sportswriters love this question, Amanda. In my previous job covering SEC football, I made it to almost every stadium in the league and often compared notes with my peers. (LSU, Tennessee and Auburn are the top three, in case you were wondering.)

There tends to be a smaller variance in quality or character of arenas in the NHL, as opposed to, say, MLB ballparks. But I came prepared with takes regardless.

I’ve been to 15 NHL venues as a reporter, and the one that stands out the most is the Saddledome in Calgary. Does that make it the best? Probably not. I’m sure I would get a bit irritated by going to work there every day if I covered the Flames. But the league needs at least one weird old barn like that, in my opinion. Everything from the tacky shape of the building to the catwalk press box was delightful to experience as a rookie. Like the NHL’s version of Allen Fieldhouse or Cameron Indoor. I’ll always defend its honor.

On the other end of the spectrum, Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena felt dazzlingly modern. Sleek design inside and out, located next to the Space Needle, and the playing surface itself is below ground level, like the Big House in Michigan.

Madison Square Garden is my more obvious choice for a favorite. Lot of character, cool-looking ceiling, just all-around good vibes. Doesn’t hurt that the game I saw there was a tense thriller that ended in a shootout between ex-teammates with maybe a little bit of bad blood between them.

Most rinks are solidly average, including Ball Arena. I tend to prefer ones that are located downtown, surrounded by more activity. (The Hurricanes’ PNC Arena is annoyingly placed.) Vancouver’s venue felt old but not in a good way.

I’ll visit Montreal and Toronto for the first time in March. Those two were close to the top of the bucket list just because hockey is close to religion in Canada. I still need to cross off Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, which I hear is electric.

Hey Bennett, how much has equipment technology changed over the years? Sticks seem to be night and day different from when The Great One played. Have players commented on new vs. old tech? 

— Rip, Aurora 

I’m admittedly a novice in this area, but a few months ago, I learned about the impact a certain Avalanche president of hockey operations had on the equipment evolution. Hockey sticks had been transitioning from traditional wood to aluminum shafts in the late 1980 and 1990s. Then in the early 2000s, the Easton Synergy became the first popular one-piece composite stick.

Who helped popularize the technology that, by 2005, was used by almost every NHL player? None other than Joe Sakic, whose name is also still associated with the stick-blade curve manufactured by Easton. It’s one of the most commonly used curves in the league today, because “you’re able to cup the puck with your stick,” as Brad Marchand once said in a Sportsnet video. When Mikko Rantanen was a junior leaguer in Finland, he was introduced to the P92 “Sakic curve,” and he still uses it today.

Everything is personalized these days. Some players are very particular about their sticks and other gear, which makes the job of equipment staffers such as Brad Lewkow and Donny White vital.

I’ve been trying to get a question answered ever since the Avs won the Cup. Is Avs development coach Peter Budaj an official Stanley Cup champion? His name is not on the Cup, but he got a ring.

— Jacob, Aurora 

There are a lot of team employees who received rings but whose names didn’t get engraved on the Cup, from media relations staff to the analytics department — and even some players.

Jayson Megna captained the Eagles and played 20 games at the NHL level throughout the championship season, and he was with the team at the end, but his name isn’t on the trophy that he held above his head in Tampa. Ben Meyers just recently received his ring; he played five games and scored one goal for the Avalanche last season. His name isn’t on the Cup.

There’s only room for so many names in the limited space (52 to be exact), but just because any given name isn’t on there, that doesn’t preclude the person from being an “official Stanley Cup champion.” It’s generally understood that it takes more than 52 people to win a championship.

March appears to be a busy month for the Avs. What does this team have to do the next month and a half before they start looking ahead to the playoffs? 

— Matt, Denver 

Get healthy, conserve top players’ ice time whenever possible and maybe even compete for home ice advantage.

The team had four days without a game this week. It’s the final catch-your-breath moment. Starting Friday at Winnipeg, the Avalanche play 27 games in the last 50 days of the regular season.

Somehow, they arrived at this juncture with a chance to overtake Winnipeg and Dallas at the top of the division, after the conversation for most of the season has been about just treading water in the playoff race.

The Stars blew a 3-0 lead to Chicago on Wednesday, and the 4-3 loss culminated in a disallowed Tyler Seguin buzzer-beater that would have tied the game if the puck hadn’t crossed a few milliseconds too late. With that loss, Dallas is 2-3-5 in its last 10 (.450). The Jets are 3-7-0 in their last 10 (.300). Colorado is 11-2-2 in its last 15 (.800).

So the Avs enter this gauntlet five points out of first place in the division with three games in hand. Bednar said he only looks at the standings once a week, but he knows enough to say this: “We’re in a spot here now where we’re not only fighting for our lives, but we’re fighting for No. 1 in the conference. That’s the way I see it.”