Gabriel Landeskog walked the entire course at the BMW Championship Pro-Am on Wednesday. It may seem like a small feat, but for the 31-year-old’s lengthy recovery from a knee cartilage replacement surgery, it’s a massive step toward playing for the Avalanche again — something he hasn’t done since June 2022.
“It’s not so much ‘if’ anymore, it’s just more ‘when,’ Landeskog said.
Landeskog updates appear sporadically, whether from him or the organization. But this one sounded different. While the captain again wouldn’t commit to a particular timeline, the confidence in the way he presented the update made it sound like the end of the recovery road is nearing — and that Avs fans will soon see No. 92 lace them up again.
“I feel good and I’m confident. It’s been a long road and it still is and there’s still a lot to be done,” he said. “I’m excited. I feel like a hockey player again. It’s just a matter of taking all the necessary steps.”
While timelines “just set you up for disappointment,” as Landeskog again reiterated, it’s also worth noting that he’s not ruling anything out quite yet. The Avs open the season on Oct. 9 at T-Mobile Arena against the Vegas Golden Knights before hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets three nights later for their home opener at Ball Arena.
On Saturday Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said he hopes to have Landeskog back near the beginning of the season. And opening night is less than two months away. It’s hard to say if Landeskog will be ready that soon. It’ll probably require a miracle. But he isn’t ready to give up on it just yet.
“I’d like to be able to play in Game No. 1 and the home opener and whatnot but we will see,” Landeskog said. “We’ve still got lots of time and we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
The Avs have not yet released their training camp schedule but it’ll likely begin the week of Sep. 16.
