Gabriel Landeskog is officially an ‘option’ for all of Round 1 for Avalanche

The NHL return of Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog appears closer than ever.

The Avs wrapped up their final practice at Family Sports Center on Friday before flying to Dallas to take on the Stars in Round 1, Game 1 of their playoff series on Saturday night.

And while head coach Jared Bednar wouldn’t confirm Landeskog will officially be in the lineup, he’s now calling him an “option” for the entire series. There likely won’t be any official announcement, so we’ll find out during warmups on Saturday evening, probably around 6:00 p.m. MT with the puck dropping about 40 minutes after that.

Bednar added that Landeskog is “getting close” and he’s been happy with his practices this week.

Earlier this week, neither GM Chris MacFarland nor Bednar would say if Landeskog would play in Game 1 against the Stars, so him being an “option” is the best news yet.

The captain skated in his first competitive hockey games in nearly three years this past weekend for the Colorado Eagles  (the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate) up in Loveland.

It was obviously wildly encouraging he was able to get on the ice at all, especially in back-to-back games. Landeskog even scored a goal on Saturday night. He was then returned to the Avs from his conditioning stint and was present at every practice this week, including on Friday.

As you know by now, Gabriel Landeskog hasn’t played in a NHL game since Colorado won the Stanley Cup in June of 2022. He underwent multiple knee surgeries since then, including cartilage replacement in May of 2023.

His road to recovery has been a remarkable journey, and we’re getting closer and closer to finding out if he’s officially all the way back.

Stay tuned, because that reality might only be about 30 hours away.

Related

Cale Makar voted NHL’s best defenseman a fifth year in a rowAvalanche name new head coach for AHL affiliate EaglesFive most important Avalanche games during the 2026-27 seasonNHL drops schedule for 2026-27 Avalanche seasonFirst Avalanche game of 2026-27 season announced, it’s in SeptemberAvs make three more depth signings, including forward with 477 NHL games