Avalanche's top goal-scorer Landeskog to have knee surgery

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is scheduled to undergo knee surgery Monday, head coach Jared Bednar announced Saturday.

There's no timetable yet for Landeskog's return. The Avalanche are in firm control of the top spot in the Western Conference standings with a 41-13-5 record entering play Saturday and eyeing their second straight Presidents' Trophy, which goes to the team with the NHL's best regular-season record.

"Something's going on with his knee and it's been bothering for a while, and it's getting worse. He's got to get it fixed," Bednar said Saturday.

Landeskog has a team-leading 30 goals this season. It's the second time in his career the 29-year-old has reached the 30-goal plateau.

Landeskog ranks fifth on the team with 59 points in 51 games. He played in Thursday's 2-0 loss to Carolina and had seven shots on goal in nearly 19 minutes on the ice.

The No. 2 overall selection in the 2011 NHL draft has scored 248 goals and 571 points in 738 regular-season games.

Also Saturday, the Avalanche announced they signed goaltender Pavel Francouz to a two-year extension through the 2023-24 season. The 31-year-old has a 10-3-1 record this season and 2.46 goals-against average.

Valeri Nichushkin is likely to take Landeskog's place on the top line.

The Avalanche host the Calgary Flames on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.