Landeskog to begin up to three-game conditioning stint with Avalanche’s AHL affiliate

Tonight, the Avalanche’s captain is finally on his way back.

After playing through a serious knee injury during the team’s 2021-22 playoff run that saw them win their third championship and hoist the Stanley Cup, Gabe Landeskog’s career has been on hold after a lengthy recovery from cartilage replacement surgery. Earlier this week, the team’s longtime captain – and it’s notable that the team never voted to name a new one, even temporarily, over the last nearly three years – was loaned to AHL Colorado, where Landeskog can play in up to three conditioning games over the Eagles’ final five games of the regular season.

Landeskog, 32, is being paid $7 million this season as the Avalanche’s second highest-player, but doesn’t count against the NHL’s salary cap while on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). Landeskog won’t count against the Avalanche’s cap while on this conditioning stint, but realistically can’t be activated at the NHL level until the regular season ends; thanks to something of a loophole in the collectively bargained cap between the NHL and the NHLPA, teams can exceed it without penalty in the playoffs, something that Cup-contending teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vegas Golden Knights have utilized with regularity.

If all goes well, Landeskog could be activated for the Avalanche’s first-round playoff series, with the Dallas Stars looming as their likely opposition.

The Avalanche, who have been reconstituted all season long through a series of canny trades, have only lost six games in regulation over the last two months. That said, they could still benefit greatly from their captain’s presence, both on and off the ice. As a top-five scoring team in the league already, whatever Landeskog can bring from a scoring perspective is helpful, but not necessarily critical, to their success. Head coach Jared Bednar can play Landeskog on either the third or fourth line to start, limiting his minutes after the nearly three-year layoff, and the team’s depth allows Bednar to avoid playing Landeskog in back-to-back games if the situation warrants that.

The Avalanche, who have been practicing with Landeskog at full speed for weeks, have only two regular-season games remaining, and will have little time to get reacquainted following his conditioning stint; the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on April 19. Nevertheless, the wait appears to finally coming to an end.

***

Landeskog’s debut with the Colorado Eagles can be viewed live on FloHockey’s YouTube page. The Eagles host the Henderson Silver Knights on Friday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 PM.