Avs fandom waits holding its breath for their captain to return

Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar spoke up about Gabriel Landeskog after last Friday’s team practice. Yes, the team captain has yet to play this season after his successful arthroscopic knee procedure in Minneapolis this past October. The skipper’s statement was rather concise - in short, what was learned is that there is no precise timeline for his return to play.

“You never know,” the amiable coach said.

After his surgery, the Club forecasted that his recovery period would be 12 weeks. Many added a few days, perhaps weeks if he had a setback, or minus a week or two if, God intervened and his health returned sooner than later.

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Misfortune has followed Landeskog for two consecutive seasons. He missed the final 23 games of the 2021-22 season after he went on the operating table on March 14, 2022. During that announcement, Bednar hoped that Landeskog would return in time to contribute during the season-ending plays. Not only did he recover, but he also contributed to the team’s Stanley Cup victory by scoring 11 goals and passing on 11 assists in 20 games. He also has a handsome Stanley Cup ring to prove that he was a contributor.

Today, the overriding question is will good fortune follow suit, and if so, will his teammates and fan club see him again this season along with other players still in the injury room?

Given the parity in the Avs’ conference and strong teams out East, they will need a cool, calm, and collective leader to go far in this year’s Stanley Cup tournament. To date, his mates have been able to step up and cover for him. However, as every NHL fan knows all too well, the game changes considerably when the playoffs commence. Without Landeskog in the dog days of April and May playoffs lineups, the Avs will have their work cut out for themselves against the foes that will soon line up to try to knock them off of their throne.

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Bednar took time to clarify Landeskog’s sequential knee injuries and repair. He stated that there is no relationship to last March’s minor surgical procedures to that which was performed in Minneapolis last fall.

However, from the perspective of his overall recovery, the coach said, “But I’m sure it didn’t help.”

Landeskog continues to heal and train-lite with the help of Skill’s Coach, Shawn Allard, and the team’s trainers. Bedhar was not shy to also say that he is a bit concerned at this time in the season about if and when he will return.

“He hasn’t played all year. “Do I think that he can easily come out of this and be fine? Yeah. He’s putting in the work. Only time will tell.”