Strike 2: After more than 1,000 days and three full seasons on the sidelines, Gabe Landeskog’s much anticipated return to the ice with the Colorado Avalanche appears to be imminent. Will it be successful?
He was successful in a short two game minor league rehab stint with the Colorado Eagles, scoring a power play goal while camped out in front of the opposing net – sort of vintage Landy stuff.
The two games in the American Hockey League couldn’t have gone much better. And after all he’s been through, it brings nothing but awesome vibes for the Avs.
The type of knee surgery that the Avalanche captain has undergone twice – right knee cartilage replacement – since he last skated in the burgundy and blue during the 2022 Stanley Cup Final is something that no hockey player has ever returned from. Only Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, who had meniscus transplant surgery in his knee after missing two full NBA seasons, has returned from any sort of similar injury and successful experimental repair.
The fact that Landeskog can skate at all is remarkable. The idea of him taking a series of hits to the repaired knee is north of frightening. Yet here we are, on the verge of seeing Landeskog rejoin the Avalanche for the upcoming NHL playoffs.
If this sounds far-fetched or even delusional to you, you’re probably not an Avs fan, most of whom have been waiting with bated breath for three seasons to see Landy back on the ice with Nathan MacKinnon and company. The last time they all skated together, they won the Stanley Cup.
While it’s incredibly unlikely Landeskog, rust and all, can be any sort of factor against the Dallas Stars and former Avs Mikko Rantanen, there is some sort of precedent for an Avs star to miss the regular season and come back to make his presence felt in the postseason.
While the type of injuries and surgeries are very different, there are similarities to 2002-03, when hall of famer Peter Forsberg, who had been forced to have his spleen removed after being injured during the Avs Stanley Cup winning playoff run in 2001, made a return to the ice for the postseason after having missed the entire regular season.
Forsberg came back for the playoffs in a big way, leading the NHL playoffs in scoring with 27 points, but the Avs still fell to the hated Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals that year.
More good news. Forsberg went on to lead the NHL in scoring the following season, racking up 106 points and winning the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP. He also played until 2011 when he retired from the Avalanche after having spent time with Philadelphia and Nashville, as well playing professionally in Sweden.
So there’s that.
Could something similar happen with Landeskog?
Besides not having any actual idea as to how well the Captain – who is now 32 years old and who once again, hasn’t played in an NHL hockey game in three years – will be able to perform in the playoffs, we have even less idea as to whether or not he will try to play again next season or beyond. Back in May of 2023, he told the media, “Until I’ve exhausted every option, I’m just going to continue pushing forward. I’m confident in the player I am. I’m confident in the athlete I am.”
If he makes a successful return to the ice for even a handful of playoff games, it will be a remarkable achievement and will validate every bit of that confidence.
Strike 2: Landeskog looks to follow the Forsberg path for the Avalanche Mile High Sports.
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