Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is set to return to action for Game 3 against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night, marking his first NHL appearance in nearly three years.
Just an hour before the game`s start, he hinted at his return in a team social media video, stating, “I`ll have my jersey on tonight. Excited to be part of the guys.”
Approximately two hours prior, the team had also shared an image of Landeskog`s jersey in his locker room stall. This upcoming game will be his first in the NHL since the Avalanche`s Stanley Cup victory over Tampa Bay on June 26, 2022. His absence has been due to a persistent right knee injury.
This appearance ends a 1,032-day gap since his last game for the Avalanche. According to NHL Stats, he is only the fifth player in NHL history (among those with at least 700 games played) to rejoin their team after more than 1,000 days away. The most recent player to achieve this milestone was Peter Forsberg, a fellow Avalanche veteran and Hall of Famer.
