Uncertainty continues to surround Avalanche captain Landeskog's potential return
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Nearing two-and-a-half years since he last played a game, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog remains without a target date for his return.
Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar confirmed earlier this month that Landeskog did suffer a setback in his recovery from knee injury, but few details have been offered since.
"The update is that they just don't know," TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun said Thursday on Insider Trading. "And you know, he had a surgery in May of 2023 - the kind of knee surgery that no NHL player has ever come back and played from.
"He wants to play. He still intends to come back. The initial timeline, when he had that surgery in May of '23 was 12 to 16 months.
"Well, last week marked the 18th month. He still hasn't resumed normal hockey activities with the Colorado Avalanche.
"Obviously, everyone is concerned and even if he does return, which again is the hope before the end of the season that he does: Can he be the old Gabriel Landeskog, or will he become a third-line player? Or - and no one wants to see this - is he Nicklas Backstrom, who realizes his body just can't play at that level? So, a lot of question marks, no answers. But they miss their captain in Colorado."
Landeskog underwent knee surgery after captaining the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022. The knee required a cartilage transplant in May 2023 and Landeskog has not played since Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.
The 31-year-old forward has been skating on and off since January but has not participated in a practice.
Drafted second overall by Colorado in 2011, Landeskog won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie in 2012 and was named to the All-Star Game in 2019. The Stockholm, Sweden native has skated in 738 NHL games, scoring 248 goals with 571 points, all with the Avalanche.
Landeskog is one of several Avalanche players to miss time this season amid a rash of injuries, with the team limping to an 11-9-0 start.