Gabriel Landeskog rejoins Avs after AHL conditioning stint

Gabriel Landeskog rejoined the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday after a conditioning stint with their American Hockey League affiliate.

He had one goal and one assist in two games for the Colorado Eagles, his first action in nearly three years after a series of setbacks with his injured right knee.

Landeskog, 32, has not appeared in an NHL game since hoisting the Stanley Cup with Colorado on June 26, 2022.

He arrives as the Avalanche are preparing to face the Dallas Stars in the opening round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Landeskog, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 draft and the 2011-12 Calder Trophy winner as the NHL's best rookie, has undergone several procedures on his right knee, including cartilage transplant surgery in May 2023.

"Physically, I feel great," Landeskog said Friday. "It's the first game in a long time so I've got plenty of things to work on and get better at but, yeah, it was a lot of fun."

No NHL player has returned from such a procedure, but Lonzo Ball of the NBA's Chicago Bulls had it performed in March 2023 and came back this season.

His knee issues began during the NHL's COVID bubble in 2019-20, when he suffered an accidental skate cut.

Landeskog has recorded 571 points (248 goals, 323 assists) in 738 games over 11 seasons with the Avalanche.

--Field Level Media