Avalanche News
JUST IN: Landeskog Addresses Media After Eagles Victory
It’s no longer a matter of if, it’s when — and when was Friday night in Loveland for Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche’s captain played his first professional game with the Colorado Eagles at Blue Arena in front of a sold-out crowd. Although he did not get on the scoreboard, the Eagles won 2-0 against the Henderson Silver Knights.
Landeskog practiced with the Avs on Monday and joined the AHL’s Colorado Eagles for practice on Wednesday. He flew around the ice like he’d been playing all season — an indication of where he was in his recovery and getting close to a return.
Following the Eagles’ victory, Landeskog fielded questions from the media. He spoke about his physical and mental states and his journey getting to this point.
“Feel great, obviously some nerves going into it … warm up, I was trying to figure out where, what did I used to do again, what was my routine? But I was just trying to enjoy it too, right?” Landeskog said. “Get out there and enjoy it, get into the game. Physically, I feel great. Obviously, it’s the first game in a long time, so I got plenty of things to work on and get better at, but it was a lot of fun.”
The 32-year-old forward’s last NHL game was June 26, 2022, Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, when the Avs hoisted the holy grail. He underwent several procedures to repair his knee but eventually had cartilage replacement surgery in May 2023.
He missed the last two full years and the 2024-25 regular season. In May 2024, he said he’d rejoin the team sometime between “mid-September and start of April. I feel pretty good about it.”
He did not mislead the public, getting his first game action on April 11.
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Deen’s Daily: Landeskog Returns; Seguin Sinks Avs in OT; Oilers Defensive Troubles
Good & Bad: Landeskog Makes Emotional Return, Avalanche Fall in OT Again
More Than Teammates: Inside the Friendship of Valeri Nichushkin and Mackenzie Blackwood (+)
Landeskog’s Potential Return Has NHL Talking
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10 Observations: Avalanche Sent a Message in Game 1 Rout of Stars (+)
I watched the whole game, and I thought he looked pretty good! The most encouraging part for me was the physical side of it for him. He gave some big hits and received a couple, got down low and fought for position in front of the net, and wasn’t afraid to get in shooting lanes on the penalty kill. All of that speaks to a knee and body that held up really well with the first big test for him.
Do.we know if he’ll dress for the Eagles again tomorrow night?
I thought he looked better and better as the game went on. I especially like that he did not seem to shy away from any part of the play, so he was clearly not worried about injury. Compared to when he last played, he certainly does not have the same speed, but hopefully that will come. You could also tell he was not used to his linemates or to the less organised play of the AHL, but that is nothing to worry about.
It was funny watching landeskog bully the one dude in a scrum and ref yelling let him go 🤣
When did the Avs leave for LA? Did they really give Toews and Makar the weekend off? If so, who, if anyone, got called up? I love the move of its true, even having tickets Sunday.
they called up Innala, Ahcan & Aamodt.
I understand that Landeskog played a little less than 15 minutes. But when he was interviewed on the ice at the end of the game, there wasn’t a single drop of sweat on his face. I looked up an interview Landeskog gave after an on-ice game from late October 2021, and I noticed that he was sweating profusely, with his visor even appearing quite wet. I’m somewhat confused about what to make of this. Did Landeskog take it that easy in his first game with the Eagles, or is the AHL simply too low a level for him? I suppose… Read more »
Wow, ok Mr Holmes. He didn’t see any ice in the last 2 minutes and even the AHL has access to towels. You ever wear hockey gear? He could sit on the bench the entire game and would lose 5 pounds of sweat. It is still very possible that this is more about the documentary than a comeback, but your sweat theory is reaching too far.
Oh look he’s sweaty…
He’s soaked in beer, not sweat. You’re not paying attention, man.
Actually it was bottles of water. https://x.com/ColoradoEagles/status/1911059089334956522
At this stage, especially after a victory, one can never be sure of the true contents of the water bottles.
He looked comfortable & definitely wasn’t shying away from contact. If he plays tonight (which I highly doubt). Then that’s the best news of all. It means his knee responded fine to playing what essentially amounts to on the high end of 3rd line minutes at the NHL level.
For any player, whether they have undergone surgery or not, playing two games on consecutive days after a long absence is highly demanding. The body needs time to adjust to the heavy workload. Even though you might think it’s a positive sign that Landeskog is playing tonight, it still presents an increased and possibly unnecessary risk. He could even end up injuring something other than his right knee. But based on my observations, and this isn’t just about the amount of sweat on his face, Landeskog has paced himself. And that’s a good thing, allowing him to get back into… Read more »