CALGARY — In the spring of 2024, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog hobbled into the University of Calgary's Integrative Neuromuscular Sport Performance Lab to try and resume his NHL career.

He hadn't played an NHL game since June 26, 2022, when he and the Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup above their heads after a Game 6 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. But behind that triumph was Landeskog's deteriorating knee.

Landeskog underwent cartilage replacement surgery in the spring of 2023 after a season on the sidelines. It was his fourth surgery after a skate sliced his right kneecap during the 2020 playoff bubble in Edmonton.

His rehabilitation after cartilage replacement was one step up, two steps back.

"He was really struggling, and the main issue was he had made a couple of

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