Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog is taking his first strides toward a potential NHL comeback.
The Avalanche announced Wednesday that Landeskog has been assigned to a conditioning stint with the American Hockey League's Colorado Eagles. That puts Landeskog in line to play his first professional hockey game since Colorado hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2022.
Landeskog has been sidelined by a knee injury for the past two seasons. He sat out all of the 2022-23 campaign with the ailment and underwent knee cartilage replacement surgery in May 2023. The procedure is often characterized as career-ending, but Landeskog has managed to participate sporadically in Avalanche practices this year. He has ramped up those appearances in recent months, which allowed coach Jared Bednar to hint earlier this week that while Landeskog is likely to remain on long-term injured reserve through the end of this regular season, a conditioning loan wasn't out of the question.
How Landeskog does with the Eagles could determine whether he steps back into the Avalanche's lineup for their upcoming playoff run. The AHL club has five regular-season games remaining, and Landeskog would be eligible to play in up to three of them as part of his assignment. Landeskog was slated to practice with the Eagles on Wednesday before they decided on his ability to get in a game.
The Avalanche would welcome Landeskog back to boost their scoring depth on another postseason push. Colorado is top-five in league scoring already -- averaging 3.34 goals -- and Landeskog could help boost the offensive further even after a long layoff. Before his injury, Landeskog was a perennial 20-goal scorer. And beyond just what he'd provide on the ice, Landeskog's NHL return would be an emotional high for Colorado in a season where franchise stalwart Mikko Rantanen was traded to Carolina in January.
Colorado is currently slated to play Dallas in a potential first-round playoff series. The NHL postseason begins April 19.