Landeskog hits milestone in road back to NHL with 1st game since 2022 Stanley Cup Final

LOVELAND, Colo. -- Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is one step closer to making his NHL return.

The 32-year-old forward made his American Hockey League debut with the Colorado Eagles in a 2-0 win against the Henderson Silver Knights at Blue Arena on Friday.

“Physically, I feel great. Obviously, it's the first game in a long time, so I got plenty of things to work on and get better at, but it was a lot of fun,” Landeskog said. “Obviously, some nerves going into it, and I said out there in the interview on the ice that [during] on ice warm up I was trying to figure out 'What did I used to do again? What was my routine?' But I was just trying to enjoy it too, right?”

The game served as a major milestone for Landeskog, who hasn’t played since June 26, 2022, a 2-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Landeskog had an assist in that game to help the Avalanche win their third championship in franchise history.

That was 1,021 days ago.

“It was awesome. I've been thinking about this for a long time, and envisioning this and envisioning being in a competitive hockey game again, and obviously, there were times where I didn't know if that was ever going to happen,” he said. “I was trying to do some visualizing before tonight and just calm myself down. I knew it wasn't going to be a problem to get energized for this one and get up for it.

“So if anything, I just had to kind of calm my nerves a little bit and do kind of my breathing routine and whatnot, just to settle myself down. But I just went out there and tried to enjoy every second of it, and I did."

Landeskog was loaned to the Eagles on Wednesday as part of a conditioning assignment as he works his way back from a knee injury.

“We got together as a staff and had it on the TV, and I was excited for ‘Landy,’” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said on Saturday. “Looked like an amazing night. ... Everyone was excited for him. I think he handled it with class. … So, I mean, it’s just an inspiring story, and we’re certainly excited for him in our room. Just hoping that he can continue to progress, and he’s able to come play for us in the near future.”

Landeskog followed up his return with a goal and an assist in his second AHL game Saturday, a 4-3 shootout win against the Silver Knights.

"Not anywhere near where I want to be, but I think it's a good step in the right direction," he said. "... Obviously, you're coming down off an incredible high; adrenaline is pumping and you've just been back in an atmosphere that you haven't been in for a long time. So, it takes a little bit to calm down and come back to it."

After recording 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) and finishing with a team-high plus-15 in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games, he missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season following surgery in his right knee in October 2022. Landeskog then opted for cartilage transplant surgery on May 10, 2023, which resulted in him missing the 2023-24 season and all of the 2024-25 season to date.

Landeskog previously had surgery on his right quad after suffering a laceration from a skate in the 2020 postseason, and knee surgery on March 21, 2022, prior to the playoffs.

“You keep putting the work in, and day-by-day you keep doing it and keep believing and the days become weeks and the weeks become months, and finally, years have gone by and now you're playing again,” he said. “I never thought this was ever going to get to this point and get this big and get this much attention, and that was never my intention. I'm just trying to fight my way back, and here we are. So yeah, it was a fun night.”

The Stockholm, Sweden, native played in all situations on Friday, including on the penalty kill, though his minutes were closely monitored. He finished with two penalty minutes in 14:49 of ice time.

“We had a couple conversations leading up to the game, and after the first, I kind of let him know where the minutes were at. He said he felt good. He wanted to keep rolling with how we did the first period,” Eagles coach Aaron Schneekloth said. “I thought he did well. I think there was a lot of moments for himself and for the group and for everybody watching, like "How's he going to react in some certain situations?' It's all read-and-react hockey out there, and I thought he looked comfortable every shift.”

Said Landeskog: “I got a lot of things to work on and improve on, and 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 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. But I think the drive to get better and my will to continue to improve game by game here is not going to stop.”

If his knee responds positively, he could play against the Silver Knights again on Saturday.

“I've always tried to kind of stay present, live in the moment. Still going to do that,” Landeskog said. “I don't want to look too far ahead, but I do know that I feel good today. Hopefully I feel good tomorrow and we can keep working and I can keep practicing, and we'll see where it takes us.”

Selected by Colorado with the No. 2 pick at the 2011 NHL Draft, Landeskog has 571 points (248 goals, 323 assists) in 738 regular-season games and 67 points (27 goals, 40 assists) in 69 playoff games.

-- NHL.con independent correspondent Dan Greenspan contributed to this report.