The Colorado Avalanche have been without team captain Gabriel Landeskog since he helped lead them to the Stanley Cup in the spring of 2022. He’s undergone several surgeries and was hopeful to make a return to action at some point in the near future, but those plans were unfortunately put on hold.
The good news is that Landeskog has been a frequent participant in Avalanche practice sessions albeit in limited fashion, including on Thursday morning:
Gabe Landeskog’s participation in morning skate is starting to become a frequent occurrence. pic.twitter.com/oGVwDJdaZa
— Jesse Montano (@jessemontano_) January 16, 2025
Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) celebrates with the Stanley Cup after the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in game six of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Landeskog was drafted by the Avalanche with the second overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
It wouldn’t be long before he made NHL history, becoming the youngest captain in League history (at the time) at 19 years and 286 days. In 738 NHL games, he’s scored 248 goals with 323 assists, along with 27 goals and 40 assists in 69 postseason games.
He last played in Game Six of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final; he subsequently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery as well as cartilage transplant surgery.
Since winning the Stanley Cup, the Avalanche have won a long postseason series, which came in the spring of 2024 against the Winnipeg Jets. They were ousted in the opening round of the 2023 postseason by the Seattle Kraken; they were later defeated by the Dallas Stars in the second round of 2024.
This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.
