The last time Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog appeared in an NHL game was the team’s Stanley Cup-clinching win at the end of the 2021-22 season. Since then, he has missed three full seasons worth of games due to knee issues that put his playing career in jeopardy.
Now he might very well be an option for the Avalanche when they open their 2025 Stanley Cup Playoff run against the Dallas Stars.
After playing in a two-game rehab stint with the Avalanche’s AHL team this past week, he has been added to Colorado’s roster and could be an option for the playoffs.
It has been more than 1,020 days since he last played in an NHL game.
He has undergone multiple knee surgeries, including a ligament replacement surgery in 2023 that no NHL player has ever returned from.
In his 11 seasons with the Avalanche, Landeskog has scored 248 goals with 571 total points, while also helping the team win a championship in 2022.
Now that he is back on the roster, there are two big questions yet to be answered.
The first one is simple: Will he actually play?
Just because he is on the roster does not mean he is going to be immediately put back into the lineup. No matter how good Landeskog has been throughout his career, only playing two minor-league games in three years and being 32 years old coming off a series of major knee issues is going to be a big series of obstacles to overcome.
Colorado significantly boosted its depth at the NHL trade deadline and is 19-8-2 since the start of February. It is already a good team that has a lot going for it.
The second question: If he does play, how effective will he actually be?
You have to imagine conditioning and getting back up to NHL game speed will be a challenge, especially for the playoffs, when the game picks up even more.
When Landeskog was at his peak, and even during his most recent NHL playing days, he was a top-line player and one of the Avalanche’s go-to options. Realistically speaking, he would probably only be more of a depth piece or complementary player at this point.
Even that could make a big impact for the Avalanche, while also providing a huge emotional boost to a contender to see its captain work his way back. The Avalanche have not won a playoff series since Landeskog was injured.
