Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog takes warmups, but scratched by team

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is not back in the NHL.

At least, not yet.

Pregame warmup for the Avs as they get ready to take on the Dallas Stars in Game 2 of their Round 1 playoff series were chaotic on Monday night. Landeskog was initially listed as in the lineup for the banged up Ross Colton, with Miles Wood being scratched. But then, at the last possible moment, Landeskog was scratched and Wood was put in the lineup.

This was all-time mind games from Colorado, as they clearly didn’t want Dallas to know if it’d be Landeskog or Wood on the third line. Head coach Jared Bednar ultimately went with Wood.

The Avalanche activated Landeskog from injured reserve on Monday afternoon, so it seemed like a return was imminent. It would have been Landeskog’s first NHL game in 1,030 days, but that wait will continue until possibly Wednesday night in Game 3 at Ball Arena.

The last time he was on the ice for the Avs was June 26, 2022, the night the franchise won its third Stanley Cup. He took warmups, but won’t be in the contest.

GABRIEL LANDESKOG IS TAKING NHL WARMUPS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 3 YEARS 🚨 pic.twitter.com/SKay4quqBp

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 22, 2025

Gabriel Landeskog played two games with the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, two weekends ago in Loveland. It was his first time skating in a competitive hockey game since undergoing multiple knee surgeries, including a cartilage replacement in May of 2023. Landeskog missed the entirety of the last three regular seasons.

This, of course, isn’t a Disney movie. The Avalanche are focused on securing another championship, and believe for now that Wood gives them a better chance than Gabriel Landeskog, at least in Game 2.

The wait continues.

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