LANDESKOG SKATES FOR FIRST TIME THIS SEASON
Ross Colton has never played with Gabriel Landeskog, but he’s been on the opposing team for the NHL’S biggest stage and he’s started to learn why his new teammates speak and feel the way they do about the Avalanche captain.
Landeskog was on the ice with some teammates Thursday during an optional practice at Family Sports Complex. Avs coach Jared Bednar said it was the first time Landeskog has skated this season.
“It’s awesome,” Colton said. “He’s been around the team for a couple weeks now. He just brings good presence, good leadership. He’s vocal. He’s talking to us, especially me being a new guy. He’s told me stuff that he thinks might help me out. That goes a long way from someone like him.”
Landeskog is out for at least the entire regular season with a knee injury that cost him all of last year as well. He said at Colorado’s media day that he can “definitely see the path” back after having cartilage transplant surgery in May.
It was an informal onice workout Thursday with a handful of regulars on the ice. Landeskog did some skating and puck-handling on his own and enjoyed being the puck distributor at center ice during one drill.
“This has been part of the plan for quite some time,” Bednar said. “The next step in his process, is to start getting on the ice. I’m assuming, and I don’t know for certain, it’s not going to be every-day-on-the-ice kind of thing. He’ll mix that into his rehab work and his gym work until eventually, he’s hitting the ice every day. I think the biggest part of that is (it) probably feels great for him.
“This has been a long road. To now get to be able to get back on the ice and do some things, that (is) sort of a refreshing step in his process to return.”
Landeskog tried to return to the team last season. He skated in February, and there was optimism about a return that eventually never happened.
The team announced he would not play in the 2023-24 regular season before training camp began. It gave Landeskog and the team some clarity, and the club financial flexibility to add to the roster. Landeskog said at media day in September that he was going to have a check-in with his doctor in November, but otherwise, there haven’t been a lot of updates on his progress.
“I don’t think there was ever really a set timeline of when (he would) get on the ice,” Bednar said. “We know that he is still a long ways out, but to have him on the ice at this point, knowing there’s still a lot of work to do, is a real positive step in the right direction.
“I think it’s different because he’s gone through the surgery and he’s gotten (the knee) repaired. I think there was probably a bit more uncertainty last year. You’re going to try and avoid a major surgery at all costs. The first step was to try and do everything he can possibly do and try to return to skate. It made great progress, but it just plateaued at a certain level that wasn’t good enough to be able to come back and play, short-term or long-term. So the next step was the surgery he decided to have. There’s more optimism this time around because he’s been surgically repaired.”
Landeskog had 30 goals and 59 points in 51 games during the 2021-22 season, and was great (11 goals, 22 points in 20 games) during the Stanley Cup-winning postseason run. Several of Landeskog’s teammates have said his leadership and role on the team are irreplaceable, but having a second-straight season without their captain has forced them to find new leaders and fill the void.
“He plays the game the right way. He plays hard. He’s a champion for a reason,” said Colton, who played for the Tampa Bay Lightning when the Avs defeated them in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. “He’s willing to fight. He can score, PK … he kind of does it all. That’s why he wears the ‘C.’
“I’m excited for him to get back out on the ice, just to see how he conducts himself out there. I see how he does it in the gym. It’s just kind of world-class. He’s a leader for a reason. It’s pretty cool.”
FOOTNOTES >> Artturi Lehkonen was one of the players on the ice Thursday. Bednar said earlier in the week that he will join the team on the upcoming five-game road trip, and it is possible that he could return from a neck injury by the end of it. Lehkonen hasn’t played since a scary collision with the end boards Nov. 9 against Seattle. Bednar has stated 10-to12 weeks as the timeframe for Lehkonen’s recovery on a couple of occasions.
Miles Wood was not on the ice Thursday. He hasn’t played since Jan. 4 because of an illness. Bednar said Wood is still not feeling well and won’t fly to Toronto with the team Friday. The plan is for him to join the club at some point during the road trip.