Landeskog 'making strides' in potential comeback with Avalanche

DENVER -- Gabriel Landeskog was on the ice with the Colorado Avalanche for the duration of practice Monday.

The forward and Avalanche captain has practiced with the team sporadically since having cartilage transplant surgery in his right knee May 10, 2023, often taking part in non-physical drills.

"He's looking good; I thought he looked great in practice today," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "Obviously, just like sort of the flow-and-go noncontact stuff. Certainly, [it’s] nice to have him out there.

"He's making strides. Obviously, this rehab is not linear. There's lots of peaks and valleys in it, and sometimes it's two steps forward and one step back, but he's still making progress and obviously feeling comfortable enough to come out and join the team with certain drills. So, hopefully that continues and continues to grow and [he’s] working to a point of a return."

Landeskog, 32, hasn’t played since June 26, 2022, a 2-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. He had an assist to help the Avalanche win the Cup. Landeskog released a five-part docuseries chronicling his recovery process titled "A Clean Sheet," which is airing on TNT and TruTV and will be available to stream on MAX on March 21.

He joked after practice he was going to play at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, TNT, MAX). Landeskog will travel with the Avalanche during their three-game road trip, but there is still no timeline for his return.

Selected by Colorado with the No. 2 pick at the 2011 NHL Draft, Landeskog has 571 points (248 goals, 323 assists) in 738 regular-season games and 67 points (27 goals, 40 assists) in 69 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He had 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 20 playoff games in 2022.

The Avalanche (41-24-3) are 8-1-1 in their past 10 games, including a 4-3 overtime win against the Dallas Stars that moved them within two points of second in the Central Division.

"It's really hard to say [when he’ll play again], but things are going great and it's certainly nice to have him back on the ice with our team," Bednar said. "Just the energy and sort of attitude that he brings to the ice, I think, helps everybody.

"We don't have many road trips left, so we'll bring everybody that's able to skate or do anything."