Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog was spotted on the ice Wednesday, eight months after he underwent cartilage transplant surgery on his knee.
The 31-year-old Swede hasn't played since hoisting the cup after Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, missing the entire subsequent season and every game of the current campaign.
The clip of Landeskog, posted by Katie Gaus of AltitudeTV, shows him carefully skating in a figure-eight, while handling a puck. It's believed to be the first time he has skated since his surgery in May.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Dec. 9 that Landeskog had returned to the Denver area to continue his recovery and rehabilitation.
"That doesn't mean anyone should think he's getting anywhere closer to returning to the NHL," Friedman said at the time.
In April, Landeskog said he was confident that he would be able to play again at some point.
“When? I don’t know,” Landeskog said. “It’s been a long road up to this point, but I’m hopeful and I’m optimistic and confident that eventually we’ll come out on the other side of this. But we haven’t quite gotten past it yet obviously."
The projected return date for the Swede, whose $7-million salary the team has placed on long-term injured reserve, is currently listed as being April 1, but that could change.
Landeskog has 248 goals and 571 points in 738 games for the Avalanche.
Over the course of their Stanley Cup run in 2022, he notched 11 goals and 22 points in 20 games.
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