What does the future hold for Gabriel Landeskog? Will the Avs captain ever be the same after latest injury?

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has not played a game since winning the 2022 Stanley Cup in Tampa Bay on June 26. His last regular season game came on March 10, 2022.

After undergoing a procedure on his right knee in October, the second operation on that knee in his career, Landeskog was given a 12-week-recovery prognosis. However, the recovery took much longer than expected and the forward did not return in the regular season and was ruled out for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It was announced on Tuesday that Landeskog will now miss the entire 2023-24 season following a third knee surgery. Gabriel Landeskog will undergo an intensive cartilage transplant in his right knee. The surgery will take place in Chicago on May 10.

"Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog will undergo a cartilage transplant in his right knee on May 10," the Avalanche said Tuesday in an official statement. "The surgery will be performed by Dr. Brian Cole at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The 30-year-old forward is expected to miss the entire 2023-24 season."

Landeskog, 30, has had an excellent career.

In 738 games, Landeskog racked up 248 goals and 571 points. He served as a huge part of one of the best lines in hockey along with Nathan Mackinnon and Mikko Rantanen and in 2021-22, he led the Avalanche to their first Stanley Cup in 21 years.

Will Gabriel Landeskog Play Again in the NHL?

We know that Landeskog will not be an option next season, but what does this mean for his future beyond that?

Another former NHL, defenseman Marc Methot, underwent an identical surgery at the end of his career. Methot played 624 NHL games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, and Dallas Stars.

During his final contract season in Dallas in 2018-19, Methot underwent a knee cartilage transplant, performed by the same doctor in Chicago that will operate on Landeskog. After the surgery, Methot did not play another game, as he opted to retire.

"I really tried to make an effort and get back and I just weigh the options and whether it's worth putting my body through that kind of mental and physical excretion and it's just not worth it," he said in early 2020.

As the news of Gabriel Landeskog's surgery was spread across social media, Methot shared some information on his own journey.

While Methot was four years older than Landeskog at the time of his surgery, this news has to be worrisome for the entire hockey community.

Gabriel Landeskog has six seasons remaining on an eight-year, $56 million contract with the Avalanche.