Is Gabriel Landeskog really nearing a return for Avalanche? 

The last time we saw Gabriel Landeskog in an NHL game, he threw his gloves and stick in the air, celebrated with his teammates, then shook NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s hand before lifting the Stanley Cup over his head, celebrating the Colorado Avalanche’s first championship since 2001.

It’s been more than two years since Landeskog has been in game action, but fans saw the Avalanche captain take part in practice on Thursday, and now the question becomes: can he come back?

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss Laneskog’s potential return and what needs to happen if it’s going to become a reality.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Gabriel Landeskog was skating yesterday before their Thursday game, and it’s been a long time since the Avalanche have seen him in game action. Between the regular season and the playoffs, Landeskog has missed 221 consecutive games for Colorado.

Are we getting close to a return?

Frank Seravalli: No.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Ahhh.

Frank Seravalli: I know that everyone gets excited seeing him Landeskog in morning skate, and by all accounts, it’s the first time we’ve had eyes on him in a couple weeks. That’s the best he’s looked.

However, I’m told his big issue is that when he decides to push the knee, he then has to take a step back because he’s immediately hit with swelling, and the knee blows up. That’s no good.

He hasn’t been able to consistently push it. Until we see a two-to-three stretch where he’s an everyday participant in practice, that’s how you’ll know that he’s getting close. He’s not close to that, he’s not close to returning, the Avs have not given any update on him in this process, and they’ve got some decisions to make.

You can listen to the full segment and the rest of the episode here…