
Gabriel Landeskog was away from the ice for a very long time.
The Colorado Avalanche star didn’t play in three consecutive regular seasons due to injury. It was one of those things where it started to feel shaky whether he’d ever come back.
But last season, Landeskog made it back for the postseason.
And now, Landeskog is healthy at the start of the 2025-26 NHL regular season.
It was a long journey back for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. He’s had 248 goals and 323 assists for the Avalanche, and he isn’t done yet.
MORE: Gavin McKenna is off to a fast start at Penn State
What happened to Gabriel Landeskog?
Gabriel Landeskog was initially injured in 2020.
He got an accidental skate blade from Cale Makar to his knee in that season’s playoffs that cut his knee cartilage.
Landeskog played through the injury for a couple seasons and helped the Avalanche hoist the Stanley Cup in 2022.
But from that point on, Landeskog was away from the ice for three seasons.
MORE: Penguins have the most unlikely NHL goalscoring leader
In May 2023, Landeskog had cartilage replacement surgery to repair his knee, which had sustained a laceration of the quadriceps tendon along with the damage to the cartilage.
It was 23 months after surgery when Landeskog finally returned to the ice in the playoffs.
Landeskog will turn 33 years old in November, and he’s still got a solid NHL future ahead of him if he wants it. The Avalanche are certainly grateful he’s back and healthy.
More NHL News:
