Landeskog on his Grueling Knee Recovery and Leading from Afar

After much consideration, consultation with experts and coming to terms for what was best for his teammates and ultimately, his own health and longevity, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog announced on Thursday afternoon that he will not play for the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Playoffs due to a knee injury.

"This was a tough decision to make," Landeskog said on Thursday evening ahead of Colorado's final regular season game at Ball Arena. "Throughout this entire season, it's felt like the playoffs have always been the one thing that no matter what, well no matter what I wasn't going to miss that, but timelines kept getting pushed back… That's why I wanted to do this for my teammates' sakes and for them not to have to answer questions and speculate, but also for my sake as well, to be able to sort of have this out in the open. Obviously, we're very hush hush about injuries and timelines and how things are going but I felt like it was important for me to get this up there."
Landeskog has not dressed in a single game this season for the Avalanche as a result of ongoing complications with a knee injury that he sustained due to a skate laceration in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and has since included an injury to the cartilage below the patella. After undergoing surgery last March ahead of the team's 2022 Stanley Cup-winning run and a secondary procedure conducted last October, Landeskog noted that his recovery process has hit a, "plateau."

"I didn't really realize the complexity of the injury," Landeskog explained. "How one injury can obviously compensate for another. The body is amazing that way and affects a lot of different moving parts. [After the] first surgery I was feeling good for a couple games and we managed it throughout the playoffs. I thought I'd be fine, ready to go after the summer - [even though it was] a very short summer. We realized fairly quickly that things had gotten worse and we started seeing some experts and doctors and started seeking out opinions. We've explored just about every option at this point."
The goal was always for the 30-year-old Swedish winger to be able to join the team for the second half of the regular season and help the Avalanche - hopefully successfully - be able to defend its Stanley Cup.
But things didn't go according to plan.
Landeskog's recovery stalled. And after spending some time away from the team and consulting with top specialists and knee experts for the intricate injury, Landeskog returned to Denver in February and soon after, began cautiously taking some reps on the ice in a non-contact jersey. Despite seeming to make incremental progress, he came to the bleak realization - and eventual decision - during recent weeks that he wouldn't be able to play in the postseason.
"For a long time, we just went away from timelines," Landeskog said. "It just sets you up for disappointment and frustration and when you're consumed by a rehab and you're consumed by an injury - and anybody who has dealt with chronic pain and any detail any degree - it affects you and more ways than just physically. For me, the last few weeks have been rough."
While it was excruciatingly hard to make the decision, Landeskog wanted to give his teammates, staff, media, fans and most importantly, himself, the closure that returning to game action during this year's playoffs runs would not be an option.
In turn, he'll focus on making the healthiest recovery he possibly can and taking whatever avenue necessary that might include to do so, even if that means undergoing another surgery.
"It can be hard to do it in the public eye as well when your progression is constantly being evaluated," Landeskog said. "We'll continue trying to find ways, consult with experts and doctors. Is surgery an option? Yeah and we'll see. We'll see where we go. We're gonna continue to do everything we can. I'm going to continue to do everything I can to get this right and get on the other side of things."

When he's not preoccupied with his ongoing recovery, his focus will be centered on being a support fixture for his teammates as they buckle up for another postseason run beginning next week. While it is certainly a foreign position for the dedicated leader to be in - as he is usually the one offering unwavering support and guidance to his teammates, and still often even is from off the ice -he noted how valuable to his mental and physical health it has been to have that reciprocal encouragement from his teammates and staff during this challenging time.
"It's just about staying connected with the group and staying connected with whether it's coaches or staff or players," Landeskog said. "Even though you're not necessarily inside that locker room on a daily basis, you still feel like a part of the team and I think that's important moving forward as well. Those guys are amazing hockey players over there, but not only that, they're quality people and good friends of mine. They have most definitely helped me throughout this journey. I'll continue to lean on them moving forward."
And while playing the entirety of the season without Landeskog has been a challenge in and of its own, he recognized the incredible resilience shown by the Avalanche who have risen to the occasion of staying competitive and a contending threat despite the additional onslaught of injuries that have repeatedly plagued the team's lineup.
"The team has been clawing and fighting," Landeskog said. "[They've been] working and doing everything they can to not only stay in the race, but to have a chance of winning the division secure and home ice the first two rounds of playoffs. I'm not surprised though, to be honest. Those are the guys in there that will do anything to keep proving once again that you know we're a heck of a hockey team. It doesn't matter who's in the lineup - whoever it is - we're always ready to play. We're a well coached team, we're a hard team to play against and obviously we've had some amazing seasons by a bunch of players and guys have really stepped up. It's been fun to watch."
And while the Avalanche's lineup certainly is not the same without the fervorous intensity, commitment and the heart that No. 92 brings on a consistent nightly basis, the Avalanche captain has the utmost faith in the character and drive of his pesky teammates. And as the Avalanche look to do continue to defy the odds - as they have all season long due to a laundry list of injuries that has resulted in 43 different players dressing in the lineup - Landeskog will be their biggest supporter throughout this exhilarating upcoming journey in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"There's a lot of champions in there," Landeskog said. "A lot of guys that were the majority of the guys were there [last year]. They know what to expect. That's the advantage you have after having gone through it is you know what to expect every step of the way. Will things be difficult and hard? Absolutely. As they should be. It's the Stanley Cup Playoffs. My message is just to support them."