The Colorado Avalanche are preparing for Gabriel Landeskog’s return to the ice. The Avalanche captain has not played in the NHL since the 2022 Stanley Cup Final after undergoing significant knee surgeries. Landeskog recently spent time in the AHL working on his conditioning. All signs are that he feels pretty good.
It’s a pretty significant development for the Colorado captain. The team has remained very competitive without him. However, they certainly need a player of his caliber in the lineup. Fans are hoping he can return without complication and contribute to a deep playoff run.
It’s almost a guarantee that Landeskog will play in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, he may not hit the ice for Game 1 when the Avalanche take on the Dallas Stars in the first round. Beat reporter Adrian Dater mentioned the team may delay his return, and provided potential reasons why.
“Hearing that #Avs may elect to play Landeskog starting with Game 3 instead of Game 1 to 1. give him a bit more time and 2. Debuting him in front of roaring home crowd. We’ll see,” Dater wrote on social media on Wednesday.
The second reason may simply be a preference from either team or player. However, the first reason makes a ton of sense. As mentioned, Landeskog has not skated in an NHL game since 2022. He has played two AHL games to this point, scoring a goal and an assist.
However, the AHL is an entirely different pace of play than the NHL. There are skilled players and tough competition in the AHL. In saying this, the jump to the NHL can be difficult. Especially for a player who has just two games of professional hockey under his belt over the last three years.
Allowing Landeskog time to get more conditioning in could be a smart move. In any event, the eyes of the hockey world — and the Colorado fandom especially — are on the captain. Hopefully he remains healthy throughout the postseason, no matter when he debuts.
