Avs HC Jared Bednar brushes off rumor of major setback in Gabriel Landeskog's return from injury

Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar dismissed rumors that team captain Gabriel Landeskog has suffered a major setback in his recovery from knee surgery.

Landeskog underwent a procedure in May 2023 to repair cartilage damage in his knee stemming from the 2022 playoffs, when he led the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup win.

The 31-year-old forward has not played since as he rehabs from the surgery. Recent reports suggested Landeskog was unable to skate on consecutive days due to swelling in his knee.

"No, no truth to that..."Bednar told reporters on Monday. "There’s forward progress for sure... But we don't have a new timeline or a firm timeline yet.”

Bednar did not elaborate on what has kept Landeskog off the ice on certain days during his recovery. But he shot down rumors of recurring knee swelling being an issue.

Two weeks ago on Daily Faceoff Live, NHL insider Frank Seravalli suggested Landeskog's recovery was stalled because pushing his knee too hard in skating drills led to immediate swelling.

“The big issue is that when he decides to push the knee, he then has to take a step back because he’s immediately hit with swelling and the knee blows up. That’s not good,” Seravalli said.

“He hasn’t been able to consistently push it.Until we see a two or three-week stretch where he’s an everyday participant in practice, that’s how you’ll know he’s getting close. He’s not close to that, he’s not close to returning.”

Gabriel Landeskog has been skating on and off since January and has not fully taken part in practices yet.

Fans react to Gabriel Landeskog's injury update

Colorado Avalanche fans are voicing frustration after the latest vague injury update on captain Gabriel Landeskog.

Reactions on social media showed fans are growing impatient, with one fan tweeting,

"There has to be an internal timeline right!?! This is beyond crazy on these fuzzy updates."

Another fan wrote:

"We love the captain but it's time to retire."

Here are some fan reactions:

"If he isnt back this year he needs to retire and they need to name Cale or Towes Captain. Love him but you gotta know when to call it" one fan wrote on X.

"Does anyone think at this point he’ll ever return?" another fan wrote.

"For the love of God. Please retire and end this fiasco" a user commented.

"It’s so obvious he’s never seeing NHL play again. Just end this horrible mess, more for Landy’s sake than anyone else." another fan wrote.

Gabriel Landeskog tallied 571 points in 738 NHL games, all spent with the Avalanche.