Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog will rejoin the group for follow Tuesday after a quick conditioning stint with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, the membership announced. With the Avs’ common season schedule over, he’ll stay on long-term injured reserve till the remainder of the league wraps up their video games by Thursday.
Issues went properly for Landeskog within the minors as he gears as much as return to the NHL after an almost three-year absence resulting from a number of proper knee surgical procedures. Colorado sent the 32-year-old down to the minors final week for the primary time in his profession. He suited up in back-to-back video games for the Eagles in opposition to the Henderson Silver Knights on Friday and Saturday, notching a purpose and an help within the latter effort.
It’s nonetheless unsure whether or not he’ll be readily available when the Avs open up their first-round sequence in opposition to the Stars, seemingly on Saturday. Landeskog nonetheless has a number of days of follow and off time forward of him to gauge how he feels, however his knee feeling robust sufficient to play on back-to-back nights within the AHL is promising. If he’s an choice for Colorado to open the postseason, it will likely be his first NHL look in 1,028 days. He final suited up within the series-clinching Sport 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Last in opposition to the Lightning.
Outdoors of its monumental nature, the left-winger’s potential return carries essential roster development implications for the Avs. Prime-six fixtures Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin missed Colorado’s closing regular-season sport on Sunday with lower-body accidents, the group relayed to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. They haven’t been handed designations any longer than day-to-day, so whereas they continue to be possible for Sport 1 in opposition to Dallas, they’re not sure but. Jonathan Drouin additionally missed the ultimate six video games of the season with a lower-body damage and stays unsure to open the playoffs. That probably leaves Colorado with out three of its 4 regular top-six wingers to start the sequence.
In fact, anticipating Landeskog to cease proper again right into a top-six position out of the gate is unrealistic. He solely performed round quarter-hour in his AHL debut on Friday and would presumably have his minutes capped at an identical quantity if he returns to the NHL lineup. Nonetheless, it’s a serious enhance for the Avs to have their captain again within the lineup in any respect.
