Colorado Avalanche left winger Gabriel Landeskog received an ominous injury update from his general manager over the weekend. As a result, it's raised questions about whether or not he'll be on the ice again.
He's been battling injuries for the past three seasons. The last time he played was the 2021-22 season, where he helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup Final.
Since then, he hasn't been playing and the Avalanche are in uncertainty. They traded away their franchise player, Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes before the NHL trade deadline.
That's only a glimpse of the uncertainty within the franchise.
Going back to Landeskog, time is ticking on a potential return. He spoke after Tuesday's game via The Athletic's Peter Baugh about those uncertainties.
“Having my career up in limbo with the big unknown, that’s been the most daunting thing of it all for me,” he said in an interview Tuesday evening.
“Here I am, 32 years old, really wanting to play hockey and really wanting to continue and see where I can take this thing,” he said. “I think that’s maybe where we are in terms of this whole thing: How far can I push it? How good can I get it?
Gabriel Landeskog's Avalanche return is in doubt
Article Continues BelowMissing three consecutive seasons is never promising for any player, especially one of Landeskog's caliber. He's been the vocal leader within the team and the veteran presence.
With young guys like Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon on the team, they looked to Landeskog in those tough moments. While he's been able to support from the side, his on-ice production is missed.
He attracts a ton of attention across the blue line and is an ideal complement to MacKinnon. The latter is an expert facilitator and playmaker. He's been able to get Landeskog plenty of looks when he's been healthy.
Even though Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar dropped an encouraging Landeskog update in January, it appears he might've taken a step back. Still, Landeskog understands what will happen if he returns to the ice.
“And I understand I’m probably not going to skate completely pain-free again, but I want to be able to get to a point where I can at least manage it and then make a decision for myself and see where we end up,” Landeskog said.
Either way, the recovery will continue and there's no timetable for any return. Soon enough, many will start to ask if the Avalanche left winger can return for good.