$56,000,000 Avalanche star Gabriel Landeskog speaks out on his injury, potential return timeline

Colorado Avalanche’ captain Gabriel Landeskog addressed his ongoing knee injury recovery and potential return timeline in an interview with The Athletic's Peter Baugh on Tuesday.

Under the $56,000,000 contract through 2029, Landeskog has not played since the 2022 playoffs (AVS won the Stanley Cup) due to a lingering right knee injury.

Landeskog underwent a cartilage transplant in May 2023 and has no precedent for returning to NHL play. But despite the uncertainty, he remains fully committed to completing his arduous rehab.

“I understand I’m probably not going to skate completely pain-free again, but I want to be able to get to a point where I can at least manage it and then make a decision for myself and see where we end up,” Landeskog said.

Earlier in the recovery process, Landeskog had set concrete target dates to return, which his body did not allow. Now, he's avoided setting a specific comeback date but admitted he'd love to play in this year's playoffs if possible.

Overall, his approach has shifted to taking things step by step and seeing how far he can push his recovery.

"I've decided to see this thing through, no matter how long it takes," Landeskog said."At the end of the day, I started it. I plan on finishing it."

Landeskog has been central to Colorado's success over the past decade, tallying 248 goals and 571 points over 738 games, all with the Avalanche.

Avs GM Chris MacFarland on Gabriel Landeskog's return timeline

Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland provided an uncertain update on captain Gabriel Landeskog's return during the press conference on Monday.

"He's grinding. He's doing everything he can," MacFarland said. "I didn't think back on June 26, 2022 that the injury would be three years. There's no playbook for this. We'll just continue to chip away at it."

MacFarland was noncommittal about the possibility of Landeskog returning for the playoffs when salary cap restrictions are lifted.

"There's a chance, hope," MacFarland said about a playoff return. "Obviously I can't predict the future, but he continues to rehab. He's not practicing with the team yet. It's two-and-a-half years and you're not practicing with the team in early March."

However, MacFarland emphasized that Landeskog remains determined to return from this long-term knee injury.