Gabriel Landeskog's return to the NHL ice remains cloudy, but the Colorado Avalanche captain is doing his best to make sure his hockey career is not over. After missing the entire 2022-23 season, Landeskog opted to have knee cartilage transplant surgery, the likes of which no NHL player has ever come back from.
Expected to miss a second consecutive regular season in its entirety, Landeskog is aiming for a return once the playoffs begin. The Avalanche should be there as they have been in each of the last six seasons. Though still a longshot, Landeskog is working to make that return a reality.
The Avalanche forward is not alone in his rehab either. Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball also had a knee cartilage transplant recently and is slightly ahead of Landeskog in the rehab process. The two franchises have been comparing notes on their star's rehab, though the two aren’t doing it directly together.
Arturas Karnisovas, the Bulls' VP of basketball ops, has a relationship with Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland from his time with the Denver Nuggets, according to Emily Kaplan.
Gabriel Landeskog could have easily thrown in the towel on his NHL career and allowed this nagging knee injury to end his time as a professional hockey player. Instead, he's working his way back to the Avalanche bench and is trying to do something no NHL player has ever done. Under contract with Colorado until 2029, Landeskog has the time and the resources to make his improbable comeback to the NHL.
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