Could Gabriel Landeskog take on a different role with the Colorado Avalanche?

Some fans of the Colorado Avalanche probably don’t want to hear this, but Gabriel Landeskog is apparently a long shot to play in the 2024-25 season due to the knee injury he suffered during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Recent word came from sources who told Adrian Dater recently.

As Dater says in his tweet, he hopes that the source is wrong.

If it isn’t, it would end the “will he or won’t he return” speculation we’ve gone through for the past two-plus seasons. If he eventually can return, great. If he can’t, maybe he can take on a role like Pavel Francouz or Andrew Cogliano did when they both retired from the league this past offseason. Francouz retired because of an injury, too, by the way.

This way, Landeskog could still be a big part of the team and can provide his leadership skills that the Avalanche love so much, as they made him the captain of the team. It would also take Landeskog’s contract officially off of the team’s cap hit forever. He would still get paid, but would have to negotiate a new contract in a different role.

Landeskog retiring would also allow General Manager Chris MacFarland and the others involved in team building to plan for the future to build this team back up to its Stanley Cup potential. Right now, they are not exactly there. The return of Valeri Nichushkin will drastically change those chances for the 2024-25 season, hopefully. Hopefully they become a major contender for years to come if Nichushkin returns to his former self and stays that way for the foreseeable future.

I know that hearing about Landeskog potentially retiring doesn’t really sit well with most people, but having him as part of the team’s staff would be awesome, if he is willing to take it, while also giving up hope of his return after two years of hard work trying to get back.