Things go from bad to worse for Gabriel Landeskog

The Colorado Avalanche confirmed the news on Wednesday: captain Gabriel Landeskog is expected to miss 12 weeks after undergoing knee surgery. Head coach Jared Bednar explained that Landeskog, who has yet to play this season and was sidelined throughout training camp, underwent the surgery on Tuesday.

This is another blow to Landeskog, whose regular season ended when he underwent knee surgery in March. He was able to return for the playoffs and posted 11 goals and 20 points in 20 games as the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup.

Ahead of training camp last month, Bednar had made it clear that his captain was nowhere near a return, though he had not mentioned the possibility of going under the knife again.

“’Landy’ is dealing with an injury from last season, lower-body, and he’s not ready to go,” Bednar said when announcing that Landeskog would miss the start of the year. “We don’t have a timetable yet for putting him on the ice.

“He won’t skate anytime soon.”

Landeskog is signed through the 2028-29 season at a cap hit of $7 million on the eight-year extension he signed last summer, and has been missed by the defending champions who are 2-1 in three games so far.

He scored 30 goals and posted 59 points in 51 games last season and was on pace for a career year before undergoing the surgery.

The timeline of his absence is approximate but we bet fans and poolers are hoping to get Landeskog back soon and healthy for long.