Outside of the playoffs, one of the major questions in the hockey world is if we will ever see the return of Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. On May 10th, Landeskog opted to receive a cartilage transplant on his right knee, which will likely sideline him for the entirety of the 2023-24 NHL season.
This will mark two straight years that Landeskog will fail to play a game in the NHL, and serious doubts are being raised about his ability to return to the ice following this surgery. Talking to doctors and experts about the surgery, Bennett Sousa of The Denver Post says the jury is still out on that specific question.
Dr. Rachel Frank, a team physician for the MLS Colorado Rapids team, said, “We’ve seen this done before in patients and athletes at all levels, including the high school, the collegiate and the professional athlete. But at the elite level, it’s a bit less predictable because, quite frankly, it’s not as common.” Although the surgery has been quite successful in the past, Frank was quick to point out that the surgery is typically given for quality-of-life scenarios, not returning to their original form in athletics.
The only other major athlete to receive the surgery in recent memory would be Chicago Bulls guard, Lonzo Ball. In March of 2023, Ball opted to receive the surgery and has yet to make his return to the court at this time, missing the entirety of the 2022-23 NBA season. Due to the lack of comparables in the world of sports, Landeskog’s future in hockey is still up in the air.
Other snapshots:
- In their loss against Team Sweden at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, Team Austria received even more negative news during the game, as top draft prospect David Reinbacher would not return to the game (Tweet Link). Receiving a hip check from Washington Capitals’ defenseman Rasmus Sandin, Reinbacher left the game with a lower-body injury. Clocking in at 20th overall on the draft board by TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Reinbacher scored three goals and 19 assists playing for EHC Kloten of the National League this season.
- Although not pressing news, an interesting factoid was provided by PuckPedia today, as they announced that two agents have now crossed over the $1B mark in active contracts, as both Craig Oster of Newport Sports and Pat Brisson of CAA Hockey have crossed the threshold. Oster represents NHL talent such as Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, and Matthew Tkachuk, while Brisson represents players such as Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, and John Tavares.