Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog confident he’s made progress with knee injury, will return this season

CASTLE ROCK — It might have been Gabe Landeskog’s first time participating in a pro-am golf tournament, but he didn’t miss a chance to show off his best Tiger Woods impersonation.

Landeskog sunk putts to finish off the front and back nines Wednesday at Castle Pines Golf Club. Both times he pulled off a muted Woods-style fist pump to a smattering of cheers from the crowd.

“My putter was hot today,” Landeskog said. “It was about the only club that was.”

Landeskog played 18 holes at Castle Pines at the Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am in a group that also included Avalanche and Nuggets president Josh Kroenke. Maybe more importantly, he walked the 8,130-yard course that’s chock-full of hills and elevation changes in both directions.

The Avalanche captain said it was the first time he’s walked a course since a string of procedures forced him to miss the past two hockey seasons.

“I feel really good. It’s progressing,” Landeskog said. “Every day is attacking it, trying to get better and strong and following the plan that’s been put in place for me. 

“It’s not so much if anymore — it’s just going to be when. I haven’t come all this way to rush that, so trying to be patient all the way and just check all the boxes I need to.”

Still, the “when” was on a lot of minds at Castle Pines. Landeskog signed autographs and posed for selfies after nearly every hole, and several fans had questions for him about how the rehab of his right knee is going and when he might play again.

He remained committed to not offering any timelines, but did tell at least one patron in the gallery, “You’ll see me again this year. I don’t know if it will be Game 1 or 10 or 20.”

“It’s been a long road — and still is,” Landeskog said. “Still a lot to be done, but I’m excited. I feel like a hockey player again. It’s just a matter of taking all the necessary steps. I’d like to be able to play in game No. 1 and the home opener, but we will see. We’ve still got lots of time.”

The next steps are finishing up his offseason rehab plan over the next two weeks. He said there will also be some tests done to further monitor his progress and come up with a plan for training camp and beyond.

“Gabe is definitely not a guy who likes to sit around on idle hands,” Kroenke said. “I think each day that he can’t play with his teammates and be out there on the ice is a little bit of a knife in the heart. We have to make sure we are doing right by him.

“There were times over even the last six, eight, 10 months where he wanted to come back and got pretty close, but there was a setback where it just caused a delay. We almost have to keep the horse in the stable and control what he’s up to so when he does come back, he’ll be 100 percent ready.”

Near the end of last season, Landeskog was on the ice with the team almost every day. He was participating in morning skates, even if at times it was more of an assistant coach type of role.

He’s certain there’s been progress since then, but how much is still to be determined.

“I think the hardest part is not getting caught up in what the Colorado Avalanche schedule looks like,” the captain said. “As much as I’d like to pop right back in and be a part of training camp like normal and then the preseason and the regular season, I’ve got to get it right.” 

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