Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar offered a cautiously optimistic update on team

Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar offered a cautiously optimistic update on team captain Gabriel Landeskog’s injury status following an optional practice on Friday.

Landeskog underwent knee surgery after leading the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022. The knee required a cartilage transplant in early 2023, and the Avs captain has not played since the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.

While Bednar avoided providing specific details or a timeline, he emphasized that the star forward is making encouraging progress.

“He’s actually doing really well right now,” Bednar said. “I’m not going to share all the information on what he’s doing. I don’t have an update, but things are going pretty good for him right now. That’s all I can say.”

After undergoing surgery in May 2023, Landeskog’s recovery has been shrouded in uncertainty. The captain was given a recovery timeline in the range of 12 to 16 months, but he’s now been over 18 months on the sidelines and Landeskog has yet to resume full hockey activities with the team.

TSN insider Pierre LeBrun described the situation in late November, simply saying that the Avalanche “don’t know” when Landeskog will be able to return, and noting “no NHL player has ever come back and played from” a knee surgery of that kind.

“He wants to play; he intends to come back,” LeBrun said on Nov. 22.

With Landeskog being placed on long-term injured reserve, his $7 million cap hit doesn’t impact the Avalanche’s books.

That said, the franchise will ultimately need to make a decision on their captain considering they have been building a roster based on the possibility of an eventual return that is far from guaranteed.