The Colorado Avalanche may be firing in all cylinders at the best possible moment. With the NHL postseason in the horizon, the Avalanche welcomed a Stanley Cup champion back to the ice for practice. Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and the rest of the Avs team could be getting a key talent and leader back, just in time for the playoffs.
After a crucial victory over the Dallas Stars, in a game with a Stanley Cup Playoffs feel to it, the Avalanche are looking to make it three wins in a row, as they travel up north to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 19.
Spirits are mile-high in Denver, especially after a star player made his return to the ice during the team’s practice prior to flying to Toronto. MacKinnon and Makar have already witnessed Mikko Rantanen leave the team, losing a key part of the team’s Stanley Cup winning core in 2022. Fortunately, they are ever-closer to retrieving, perhaps, the most important piece to their puzzle.
Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog returned to the ice, to join his teammates for practice after an arduous recovery journey from a freak knee injury. Landeskog has missed the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons after playing his last game on June 26, 2022. That day, Colorado defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning and hoisted their third Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Gabriel Landeskog #92 of the Colorado Avalanche skates with the Stanley Cup at a ceremony celebrating their NHL Championship before their home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks at Ball Arena on October 12, 2022 in Denver, Colorado.
It’s been a long, almost perpetual healing process, with setbacks along the way, but it may finally be reaching it’s finish line. Landeskog skated with his teammates during the Avs’ practice, showing great form and being a huge motivation boost for MacKinnon, Makar, and the rest of the team.
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Landeskog is joining the road trip
If the mood inside the locker room wasn’t exciting enough, head coach Jared Bednar added to the buzz by announcing that the captain will be making the trip across the Canadian border as well.
With the Avalanche set to take on the Maple Leafs, Senators, and Canadiens, Landeskog will take part during the morning skates on the road, enroute to a full recovery, hopefully in time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Bednar’s full comment on Landeskog
“[Landeskog’s] looking good, I think he looked great in practice today. Obviously, just sort of the flow and go, non-contact stuff, certainly nice to have him out there, and so he’s making strides,” Jared Bednar stated during media availability after the Avalanche’s practice on Monday. “Obviously, this rehab is not lineal, it’s lots of peaks and valleys in it, sometimes it’s two steps forward, and one step back, but he’s still making progress.
Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche stands on the ice during a preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on September 28, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Colorado won 4-2.
“He’s feeling comfortable enough to come out and join the team for certain drills, so hopefully that continues to grow, and working to a point of a return. It’s really hard to say, but things are going great and is certainly nice to have him back on the ice with our team. Just the energy and sort of attitude he brings to the ice, I think helps everybody.”
