It’s been more than 1,000 days since Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog skated in an NHL game.
The 32-year-old forward underwent arthroscopic knee surgery following the 2022 Stanley Cup that was supposed to sideline him for only 12 weeks but ended up costing him the entire 2022 season.
Four weeks after his first surgery, Landeskog underwent cartilage transplant surgery in his other knee, which sidelined him for the entire 2023 and 2024 seasons.
But after a conditioning assignment with the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, it appears Landeskog is ready to return to the Avalanche lineup for their Stanley Cup playoff series against the Dallas Stars, which was confirmed by head coach Jared Bednar on Friday.
“He’s close, he’s close, he’s getting close (to returning),” Bednar told reporters. “Obviously, every day I feel like he’s getting a little quicker and a little more confident, a little more sure of himself, so he’ll be an option for us in this series.”
Before his knee injuries, Landeskog was among the Avalanche’s leading scorers from 2013 to 2021.
He logged two 30-goal seasons and seven 50-point seasons in that span, and he recorded three straight postseasons with double-digit points, including a breakout performance in the 2021-22 playoffs, in which he scored 11 goals, second only to Nathan MacKinnon, and 22 points in 20 playoff games.
Getting Landeskog back in the lineup, especially against a high-powered offensive team like Dallas, is a coup for an Avalanche team hurting for secondary scoring.
Colorado’s offensive depth took a hit this season with Landeskog shelved for the year and Mikko Rantanen traded to the Carolina Hurricanes midseason. Beyond McKinnon (116) points) and defenseman Cale Makar (92 points), no other Avalanche skater hit the 50-point plateau (Rantanen had 64 points in 49 games before he was traded).
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