For the first time all year, Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog joins team at skate

This a sight Avalanche fans have been waiting to see for months.

For the first time since knee surgery in October, his second in the last year, Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog joined his teammates at Ball Arena for a morning skate.

#Avs Gabe Landeskog update: He is joining the group today at AM skate wearing a red no-contact sweater. Positive news. pic.twitter.com/4slwlxPXm1

— Kyle Fredrickson (@kylefredrickson) March 20, 2023

The Avs take on the Blackhawks tonight, so this is a great sign. We’ve seen Landeskog skate on his own at the team’s practice facility, but this is clearly another step in his recovery. While it’s unclear if Landeskog will rejoin the team this season, he’s definitely trying to make it back for the playoffs and another Stanley Cup run.

After practice, head coach Jared Bednar didn’t offer much on what it meant, but then again hockey coaches rarely share a lot of information about key injuries.

#Avs Bednar on Gabe Landeskog joining the group briefly for morning skate: "Slow and steady. Nothing major to report there."

— Kyle Fredrickson (@kylefredrickson) March 20, 2023

Bednar added Landeskog will continue to work on his own for “quite a while,” so it’s not like a return is imminent this week. The captain hasn’t played since skating in 20 playoff games a season ago, helping the team capture the best trophy in sports for the first time since 2001.

Meanwhile, Colorado is still hoping to welcome back defensemen Erik Johnson and Josh Manson shortly. Forward Darren Helm and backup goalie Pavel Francouz could also return, while Artturi Lehkonen broke his finger and is likely out until the postseason if not longer.

Still, there’s a chance this team gets healthy before the playoffs. And that’s a great sign, as they look to go back-to-back despite facing a ton of adversity this year.

All the guys will be valuable, but there’s very little debate that Landeskog would provide biggest boost.

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