Avalanche Make Bold Statement About Gabriel Landeskog Status For 2024-25

The Colorado Avalanche captain has missed the last two full seasons and hasn't been seen on the ice since hoisting the Stanley Cup in June of 2022. Gabriel Landeskog was 29 back then. Now, the 31-year-old is still trying to make it back to the Avs after battling a knee injury for over two years.

But according to Colorado head coach Jared Bednar, the team is expecting (hoping?) for Landeskog to return early in the coming season.

"He's trying to make a return here sometime near the start of the season and if that goes well, it would be a really big boost for us," Bednar said Saturday, per Tom Gulitti of nhl.com. Bednar added that there is "more optimism now that Landeskog will be able to play perhaps within the first month or two of the season."

As for Landeskog, he himself insisted that he plans on playing this season, but was a little more conservative on the time frame, saying it would be "between mid-September and the start of April."

The captain has been skating a few times a week, and was seen working out on Friday, making hard turns on his repaired knee that he would not have been able to do at this time last year.

Landeskog working on his turns and transitions. He puts full weight on the "bad" knee in the turn. This has to be the best he has looked so far. #Avs #GoAvsGo @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/h7RRO9eSEo
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) August 16, 2024

That's a wrap for today! Landeskog spent about 50 mins on the ice, going 50-70% of full speed at times. He is putting much more weight on the knee in turns & getting the turns tighter. I was very encouraged after today. #Avs #GoAvsGo @TheRinkColorado
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) August 16, 2024

Per Avs' beat writer Brennan Vogt, Landeskog was on the ice for about 50 minutes, going at "50-70%" speed. He said it's the best the 11-year veteran has looked to this point.

Bednar still warns—and we've heard this one before—that there is "no concrete timetable" for Landeskog's return. But certainly, this is the most positive report we've had in over two years.

The former No. 2 overall selection in the 2011 NHL Draft had two knee surgeries in 2022, and cartilage replacement surgery on the knee in May of '23.

He has 571 points in 738 regular-season games, and 67 points in 69 playoff games.

And of course, one Stanley Cup ring.