When Gabriel Landeskog stepped onto the ice at the Blue Arena on April 12th, 2025, it had been 1,020 days since his last hockey game. Nearly three years after lifting the Stanley Cup in Tampa, the Avs captain was wearing a different jersey, playing in a different league, in front of a different crowd. But what he rediscovered in Loveland that night was something he never lost: his love for the game.
"Body feels great… my knee feels great,” Landeskog said with a smile in his postgame interview, a simple statement that invoked insatiable applause from the crowd.
Landeskog’s journey began with a freak accident: a skate blade to the knee in Game 6 of the 2020 playoffs. The injury led to lingering cartilage damage that, despite minor procedures, continued to trouble him. Still, he powered through the 2021-22 season, leading the Avs with 30 goals before undergoing knee surgery in March 2022.
He returned that postseason and was instrumental in Colorado’s championship run, notching critical points throughout the playoffs. But behind the scenes, the pain had returned. That summer would mark the last time he played in a professional hockey game… until now.
After another knee surgery in October 2022 and months of frustrating setbacks, Landeskog underwent a cartilage transplant procedure in May 2023. It was a rare and complex operation, most notably performed on NBA guard Lonzo Ball. Unlike standard repairs, this procedure doesn’t guarantee a return to play, especially at the elite level Landeskog had always maintained.
Throughout his recovery, the Avs captain largely remained out of the public eye. That changed in March 2025 with the debut of “A Clean Sheet: Gabe Landeskog,” a multi-part docuseries that gave fans an intimate look inside his world, the rehab, the mental grind, and the identity crisis that comes with nearly three seasons lost.
“There were times, a handful of times, where I didn't know where it was going to go and there were tough days,” Landeskog admits. “But I always had a kind of a clear vision of where I wanted to go… I think the deep belief never wavered really.”
The series features Landeskog’s journal entries, moments of doubt, and the quiet resilience required to navigate life without hockey. At times, his knee would swell with inflammation after even light skating, each step forward often followed by a retreat.
That made March 17th, 2025 all the more meaningful. Landeskog participated in full practice with the Avs for the first time in over two years. Less than a month later, he was suiting up for the Colorado Eagles as part of a conditioning assignment.
He didn’t just show up, he contributed. Over two games against the Henderson Silver Knights, Landeskog played nearly 15 minutes per night, including power play and penalty kill minutes. He handled top-six matchups, won a battle along the wall to set up the goal that brought them within one, and scored the game tying goal as the net-front guy on the powerplay.
At the heart of the comeback, he took a few shifts in overtime to help secure the win. Making a difference in the second game in a back to back is no small feat, and Landeskog’s game only improved shift by shift. His speed started to return to him, his starts and stops and mobility coming in and out of battles were encouraging.
"I've been skating for a long time now… I've been working on all the nuances of skating,” he explained postgame. “It's one thing to be on the ice and skate and do certain drills, but it's another to do it in a game, game speed, and game intensity.”
Still, the return wasn’t without rust. Landeskog was his own harshest critic.
“I found myself getting a little frustrated on the bench just because I wasn't making the right plays or I wasn't skating or getting involved the way I wanted to… but I also got to remember it's the first one in a long time, so I guess I have to temper my own expectations a little bit.”
Landeskog's approach to evaluating his game has always gone beyond the scoresheet.
“Am I attacking, am I creating scoring chances, am I being responsible defensively, am I breaking up plays, am I getting the puck out of our zone? Things like that,” he said. “We're a process-focused business really… the little things add up to the big things.”
After so long away from the ice, every shift carried emotional weight and clarity.
“Waking up this morning, it felt a little bit surreal driving up here for morning skate and it couldn't come fast enough to be honest with you,” he said postgame. “It doesn't matter what jersey or what league or what rink you play, it's the greatest game… it's my first love and it's good to be back.”
Throughout it all, Landeskog has leaned heavily on those around him: from trainers and teammates to coaches and family.
“You're not doing this kind of a journey on your own. You're not doing anything in life on your own, really,” he said. “My wife first and foremost, she's been incredible… there were times where I didn’t know where it was going to go, if this was ever going to happen, but she kept pushing me… my teammates, they've always been supportive and always been in my corner.”
Eagles head coach Aaron Schneekloth kept communication open during the game: “He kept asking how I was feeling, if I wanted more, if I wanted less, and I was feeling good.”
Avs head coach Jared Bednar added, “It’s exciting for us because it may give us another option here when we get to the weekend and start playing playoff games… to have another player of his caliber possibly being ready to go is only a positive.”
Today Bednar confirmed that Landeskog is an option for round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs citing his continued improvement every single day. Landeskog has been skating with the extra forwards, Jimmy Vesey and Miles Wood, in practice. These players have notably rotated in and out of the lineup on the third line’s wing. Landeskog also did a few reps on the second power play unit.
Long-time friend and teammate Erik Johnson summed up what many around the league feel: “He didn’t have to do it and he did it for the team. Super proud of him.”
The fact that Landeskog’s return is even a conversation – that he’s once again reviewing game tape, visualizing next steps, and waking up to sore legs rather than uncertainty – is a victory in itself.
“I have high expectations of myself,” he said. “I'm also realistic in knowing what I've gone through and how much time I’ve missed, but at the same time, I'm not going to necessarily lower them too low either.”
Now, he's focused on what’s next. “Examine it, look at it, look at the good, look at the bad, see how I feel tomorrow, get back to work and we’ll see how the body responds.”
Gabriel Landeskog has never been one to chase headlines. But after nearly three years away, his quiet determination has spoken volumes. Whether or not he can make the difference he once did as an elite NHL forward is uncertain, but one thing is for sure: Gabriel Landeskog is coming back – not just physically, but as the heart of a team and the embodiment of resilience.
It’s a matter of when, not if, and we’ll be waiting for his return in the Dallas series.
