Avalanche Gabriel Landeskog plans to undergo a cartilage transplant surgery on his right knee Wednesday and is expected to miss the entire 2023-24 regular season, the team announced Tuesday morning.
It will be Landeskog’s fourth surgery dating back to 2020 as he attempts to recover from a patellar cartilage injury that already forced him to miss the entire 2022-23 season, including the playoffs.
Landeskog and the Avalanche didn’t make the decision that he would miss the full season until after the March 2 tradeline, so the uncertainty surrounding his departure prevented Colorado from attempting to navigate around his $7 million average annual valie. The Avs were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by Seattle.
This time, the advance knowledge of Landeskog’s fate before the 2023-24 season will mobilize general manager Chris MacFarland. The Avalanche will be able to place Landeskog on long-term injured reserve and exceed the salary cap by his $7 million cap hit, allowing them more wiggle room in free agency and on the offseason trade market.
This story will be updated.
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