The Colorado Avalanche have activated captain Gabriel Landeskog from injured reserve.

Landeskog has been recovering from a series of injuries for over five years. For the last three years, he had not played a game until two weeks ago. The Swede played two games for the Colorado Eagles, where he scored a game-tying goal and also had an assist.

“I think the most fun part isn’t necessarily scoring a goal or getting on the score sheet,” Landeskog said of his goal. “It’s just being a part of that atmosphere and being a part of a tight hockey game, competitive, getting to compete again and having the trust of the coach to put you back on the ice. Just wanting to make a difference and feeling the crowd behind you. I mean, there’s nothing like it, so I missed it, and tonight I got to take part in it again.”

His recovery process has been well documented over the last month in the docuseries, “A Clean Sheet.” In the docuseries, Landeskog shows the human side of the recovery. He had cartilage transplant surgery in his right knee in May 2023. the process to recover has been long and grueling. The Captain admits to several setbacks in which it tested his mental and his physical strength. Landeskog was very close at the beginning of the season, but a setback pushed the return date back.

This could open up the possibility of a potential return to the lineup tonight with Ross Colton’s injury. Landeskog could slot in on the fourth line, with low minutes and ease back into NHL level speed. So chances are low Landeskog will not see a lot of ice time on Monday night. But the journey has been worth the wait. The Colorado Avalanche has their captain back on the ice again.