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May 23, 2024, 04:45 PM ET
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — The first sign this wasn’t a Gabriel Landeskog retirement announcement: The Colorado captain showed up wearing an Avalanche hat, shirt and shorts as if he’d just gone through a workout.
“I think I’d dress up a bit more,” he cracked Thursday as he chatted alongside general manager Chris MacFarland for around 50 minutes about his health, the pain of watching the team being eliminated from the playoffs, Val Nichushkin’s suspension and his desire to keep playing.
The 31-year-old Landeskog has missed the last two seasons because of his right knee. But he’s making strides toward a return after undergoing cartilage replacement surgery last May. Precisely when he will be back, though, he’s not quite certain.
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“Between mid-September and the start of April,” Landeskog said with a laugh. “I feel pretty good about it.”
Like Landeskog, Nichushkin’s status remains to be determined. The Russian forward received at least a six-month suspension without pay last week for violating terms of the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. He’s sidelined until some point next season.
But the door is open for Nichushkin to come back.
“Priority 1 is for Val to get the help he needs,” MacFarland said. “Assuming he does, and after the six months, we’ll have to read and react on that. But it’s very plausible that he will be back with the Avalanche.”
Landeskog, the Avalanche captain since 2012, said he struggled with how best to help Nichushkin, whose off-the-ice issues led to him leaving in the middle of a second straight postseason.
“Immediately when the news broke, my reaction was, ‘What else could I have done?'” Landeskog said. “Everybody has their own opinions of the situation, but he’s a teammate of ours. We hope he gets right. We hope he gets what he needs and is able to come back and help us moving forward.
“He needs to look out for himself, but he also needs to be a part of what we’re trying to accomplish here, and I think…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40205461/avs-captain-gabriel-landeskog-looking-return-knee-injury
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Publish date : 2024-05-23 21:48:10
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