The likelihood of the Avalanche getting their captain back seems to increase daily. Those odds jumped in a big way on Wednesday morning.

The organization announced that Gabriel Landeskog has been loaned to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL for a conditioning stint. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, Landeskog can play up to three games for the Eagles without having to be activated from long-term injury reserve, meaning his cap hit will still not impact the Avalanche.

Landeskog is set to practice with the Eagles on Wednesday and then the team will provide further update on his status in the coming days. After Tuesday’s game, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar had some encouraging remarks regarding his captain.

“He’s doing better and getting close,” Bednar said.

It’s been well documented what Landeskog has gone through to even get to this point in his return attempt. The last NHL game he played was Game Six of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 26, 2022. Since then, he’s had multiple operations on his knee, including the cartilage transplant surgery that took place in May 2023. He’s been practicing more and more with the Avalanche in recent weeks and the next step is for him to take some real contact.

The Colorado chapter of the PHWA named Landeskog as the Avalanche’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy. This trophy is awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.