Gabriel Landeskog returns to ice for first time since knee surgery

The Colorado Avalanche are one of the most talented teams in the league and they were able to prove their ability in 2022 when they won the Stanley Cup, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in the championship round. They have two of the best players in the league in Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, and they would love to get Gabriel Landeskog back into the lineup at some point this year.

There are no guarantees as Landeskog has had a series of surgeries and setbacks following a knee injury, but progress appears to be the word of the day. Landeskog was on the ice Thursday prior to an optional Avalanche practice.

Landeskog had cartilage rehab surgery last May, so this is clearly a long process to get him back to NHL speed and eventually to competition. That may be a longshot, but Colorado head coach Jared Bednar is hopeful that the 31-year-old Swedish forward can take small steps without any setbacks.

“This has been part of the plan for quite some time,” Bednar said. “The next step in his process, to start getting on the ice. I’m assuming, and I don’t know for certain, it’s not going to be every day on the ice kind of thing. He’ll mix that into his rehab work, and his gym work until eventually, he’s hitting the ice every day. I think the biggest part of that is (it) probably feels great for him.”

Gabriel Landeskog was unable to play last season for the Avs. He has not competed in the NHL since the ’22 Stanley Cup playoffs when he had 11 goals and 11 assists in 20 game.