Gabriel Landeskog injury: Insider drops major hint on Avalanche captain's return, possible playoff run

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is working toward a return after missing nearly two full seasons. On Tuesday, TSN and The Athletic’s Chris Johnston discussed Landeskog’s progress on the "First Up" podcast. He believes Landeskog has a chance to play in the playoffs.

"I think at some point, and I'm not saying it's Game 1 of the playoffs, but I think at some point in the playoffs, this is trending more and more towards him giving it a go," Landeskog said.

And you know, part of the risk here for Landeskog ... because I've been a tremendously long road back, he hasn't played a game in almost two years now, exactly two plus years, is that if he suffers the injury again, he defeats back to square one, it will be the end of his career."

Landeskog last played in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. Since then, he has had multiple knee surgeries, including a cartilage transplant in May 2023. Recovery has been long, but he recently took part in team practices.

"So no one can say for sure how it's going to go when he gets into a battle, gets into it, especially if he rejoins the lineup for playoffs," Johnston said. "But you know, I think he's clearly putting everything he can in these next few weeks into trying to give himself that chance to step back on the ice again in a competitive environment."

On Monday, Landeskog skated with the team and completed several drills. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Landeskog will travel with the team but won’t play yet. However, the team wants him to stay involved.

"I don't think this is the case of like LTIR, you know, high gain training like that ... I don't know, what level his game could possibly be at after that kind of layoff," Johnston said. "And obviously, what the surgeries he had, but you know, I do think he's gonna be able to play the game at some point, and hopefully many just because he spent a lot of work in a position where that's possible."

Landeskog scored 30 goals and 29 assists for 59 points in the 2021-22 NHL season. He is a solid two-way player with a rating of 27 in that season while averaging 20:19 minutes per game.

Gabriel Landeskog expressed his intention to play again

Gabriel Landeskog is determined to return despite ongoing challenges. In an interview with Peter Baugh of The Athletic earlier this month, Landeskog expressed his intention to play again.

"Here I am, 32 years old, really wanting to play hockey and really wanting to continue and see where I can take this thing," Landeskog said. "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 was a solid top-six player in the 2022 Stanley Cup championship run. If he returns, he could help the team in the playoffs. However, his long-term health remains the top priority.