Career ending injury? Insider shares horrible news for Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog

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Graham Montgomery
November 7, 2024 (10:53 PM)

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Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has reportedly suffered a setback in his recovery, throwing the rest of his NHL career into jeopardy.

Landeskog, set to turn 32 later this month, has not played an NHL game since the 2021-22 playoffs where he scored 22 points in 20 games en route to his first career Stanley Cup championship. Since then he has undergone major surgeries to repair injuries that had been bothering him throughout his career. He had two major knee surgeries in 2022 followed up by a cartilage transplant in May of last year. It is rare for a player to return after such extensive work done especially when it is all on the same part of the body, but Landeskog has been determined to give it his best. Unfortunately, Avalanche reporter Adrian Dater revealed today that he has suffered what he is calling a 'significant' setback that has put his return to the NHL in serious jeopardy.

Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar recently commented on this as he was giving health updates on other players including Cale Makar. He said that the result was not entirely unexpected, but seemed to be putting a brave face on about it, effectively giving a non-answer to the questions about the captain's status. In hockey terms, this is not a good sign.

This is a fairly major reversal in the discussions around Landeskog. As recent as a few months ago, Landeskog told fans that he would 'definitely' play games this year. In fact, the Avs captain was very confident about that. He even went so far as to chirp a fan online who said he should retire.

Unfortunately, though, it now appears as though that fan and the many who share their thoughts might be correct. We may very well have seen Landeskog's last game in the NHL at this point. Still, it was a great career if this is indeed the end. He has 248 career goals and 571 points in 738 games as well as a Stanley Cup and the Calder trophy. Be sure to tune in for more updates on his status in the coming days.