Thursday saw a wonderful sight for Colorado Avalanche fans: Captain Gabriel Landeskog taking to the ice for the first time since his surgery last May. It is the first time he has skated since last April when he was still skating with the team during the playoffs against the Seattle Kraken.
He has not played a game of hockey since Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, where he and the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup. His absence on the ice has been greatly noticed and missed amongst Avs faithful.
Even though he was in a regular blue jersey, he will not be ready to play anytime soon. He is still slated to miss the entire regular season, with the hope of returning for the playoffs. General Manager Chris MacFarland spoke with Frank Servalli, revealing some interesting timelines about Landeskog’s recovery.
Amongst the most interesting part of the interview was the recovery time for Landeskog. For the first time, we’ve gotten an exact number of 12-16 month recovery time from the cartilage surgery. This May will be 12 months since the surgery, right at the beginning of the phase of recovery time.
Knowing hockey players’ mentality and stigma surrounding injuries, don’t be surprised if Landeskog tries to play if he feels good to go. They have a right to feel more confident as well with him being more “surgically repaired” from this surgery. He would likely not return until May after the Avalanche have won at least one round, perhaps two, and return in the Western Conference final if they make it that far.
But, with both him and the team taking things a lot slower this time around compared to last season. Hence, it would also not be a surprise to see Landeskog simply prepare for the start of the 2024-25 season, with September 2024 before training camp being 16 months post-surgery. This seems like a “safer” option if they are thinking more long-term about keeping the captain healthy.
There seems to be more belief around Landeskog returning to the team and playing hockey again than previously stated. Hence, it is understandable for the fanbase to believe he will return to the play in the coming months.
But, take a step back and have your popcorn with a grain of salt.
Of course, no one has come back to play fully healthy from this procedure. The Chicago Bulls’ Lonzo Ball in the NBA had this exact surgery at a similar time and is still looking to make a comeback himself. He is a good benchmark to look at to determine how Landeskog may continue with his recovery.
Plus, head coach Jared Bednar has already said the captain would not be on the ice every day. He is still going to do plenty of gym work and rehab while getting on the ice every once in a while. He likely won’t be on the ice consistently for a matter of months.
While this is a great step in his recovery, there is still a long way to go. This is just the start. Here’s to a healthy captain sooner rather than later.