Gabriel Landeskog is a 32 year old Swedish National Ice Hockey left winger and captain for the Colorado Avalanche. He was selected second overall in the 2011 NHL entry draft by Colorado. As of 2024, his salary is $9 million and the contract with the Colorado Avalanche will end in 2029. In September 2012, Landeskog was named the fourth captain in Colorado Avalanche history, at the time becoming the youngest captain in NHL history at 19 years. He won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, becoming the fourth European-born captain to do so.
In 2020, Landeskog’s knee was injured after being struck with a skate blade. Although this incident caused Landeskog to have cartilage issues, the left winger continued playing until 2022.
In early March 2022, it was announced that Landeskog underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in order to deal with an injury that had been “nagging” him for some time. At the time he was the Avalanche’s leading goal-scorer for the season. He recovered from surgery by the beginning of May to return in time for the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. Landeskog was a strong performer through the first three rounds of the playoffs, helping the Avalanche advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2002.
On April 13, 2023, the Colorado Avalanche announced that Landeskog will not play in the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. A month later, the Avalanche reported that Landeskog’s right knee required a cartilage transplant surgery, and as a result, he missed the entire 2023–24 season.
Since Landeskog is now 32 years of age, will his age affect the team if he comes back this season? Is he really what the Avalanche need right now?
Landeskog has turned down many retirement rumors and is determined to return. On a social media post recently, Landeskog replied to a comment that said, “Time to retire, Landy!” The captain replied, “Is it though?” All indications are that Landeskog will return sometime during the 2024-25 season, but it’s still unclear when he’ll return and how long he will be back. Landeskog hasn’t appeared in a game since 2022 when he was 29 years of age.
Current NHL contracts are designed to ensure players aren’t forced to walk away from them. If they do, it would set off a series of legal implications. These provisions were put into place to protect players.
Although Landeskog is determined to come back, how effective will he play? How will his ultimate performance affect the team? Many individuals believe that Gabe Landeskog will return to the National Hockey League soon and ultimately help the Avalanche succeed in the playoffs and future seasons ahead, while many others are living in reality and explain their views why Landeskog could potentially hurt the team’s overall performance and why he isn’t going to return to the National Hockey League.
While it is possible for an NHL player to return after an injury followed by many surgeries, it depends on several factors:
Severity of the Injury: It depends if the player is able to move that part of their body well enough to play and overall do their role successfully.
Rehabilitation: A well structured and rigorous rehabilitation program is essential which includes physical therapy and gradual return to ice drills and activities. There have been multiple posts on social media about Landeskog’s return to ice drills, yet its uncertain when he might return.
Age & Health: Landeskog is now 32, so he is getting older — younger athletes and those in good physical condition generally have a faster recovery. He previously had quadriceps surgery during the 2020 postseason and knee surgery twice, in March 2022 and again in October 2022.
While challenging, there have been instances of athletes returning to professional sports, but that also means that the player will struggle to play like they used to, every person is different and each case is unique, so decisions should be made by the athlete and medical professionals.
Although Landeskog was a vital player for the Avalanche for many seasons and throughout the playoffs, he’s getting older and has struggled to get back on his feet from his injuries/surgeries. Thus, it might be his time to say farewell to the National Hockey League.
