Even just a few weeks ago, the odds that he might play at some point in this postseason were still long. Now, the entire situation has flipped and the progress is happening at warp speed.

Landeskog returned to the Colorado Avalanche for practice Tuesday, ending a successful conditioning assignment with the Colorado Eagles where he played back-to-back games and collected two points as well. Now, the countdown to the captain playing for the Avalanche again could be days — not weeks or months.

“Suddenly, over the last month, the progression has been quick,” Avs forward Logan O’Connor said. “It’s been awesome. The locker room has sensed it. It has happened really quickly recently, but then you think about the whole journey and it’s really been a long time coming.

“It’s definitely been a wild journey. We’ve played a lot of games without him. A lot of guys have come and gone that never got to play with him. As bad as it is to say, you almost got used to him being out at some point and stopped asking questions about how he was feeling or what things were looking like because you didn’t want to harass him about it.”

Landeskog went 1,020 days without playing because of issues with his right knee. He had several procedures, the most recent major one being knee cartilage replacement surgery in May 2023.

No player has returned to NHL action after having this procedure. Lonzo Ball had it done in March 2023 and returned this season for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA.

Landeskog participated in the club’s optional practice Tuesday. The Avs have a full practice Wednesday, then are taking Thursday off. Game 1 against the Dallas Stars is likely to be either Saturday or Sunday.

“No. 1, it is exciting that he is back and playing,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “I’m really happy for him. I know it’s been a long road. No. 2, it is exciting for us because it may give us another option here when we get to the weekend. We’ll see how it responds this week and see how it goes.”

Avs defenseman Erik Johnson said, “it looks like we are going to have him around for Game 1” when he appeared on a Spittin’ Chiclets podcast episode that published late Monday night. When Devon Toews was asked if Landeskog will play in Game 1 on Altitude radio Tuesday afternoon, he replied, “tune in and find out.”

Toews was among several Avs players who went up to Loveland to see Landeskog play in the first AHL game of his career Friday night. He played nearly 15 minutes the first night, then looked even better on Saturday, collecting a goal and an assist.

“It was awesome. I didn’t know what to expect, but I thought every shift out there he looked better,” Avs center Nathan MacKinnon said. “In game two, he looked better as well. He almost played 20 minutes or something like that. He’s in a good spot. Hopefully he can keep progressing and we’ll have back here this weekend.”

For so long, there were vague timelines for Landeskog on his road to recovery. Then, as the process dragged on there were no timelines at all.

Now? All signs point to him playing this weekend, assuming his knee has no issues through the next few days.

“He’s Gabe Landeskog at the end of the day,” MacKinnon said. “Obviously there’s going to be some rust. Three years is a crazy amount of time off, and he hasn’t been practicing that much either. … I think he looks great. In game situations, you can still see those instincts are there. He’s still got it for sure.”

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Landeskog, who has not played for the Avs since Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, joined the Colorado Eagles on a conditioning assignment last week. The Avalanche captain practiced Wednesday with the Eagles, then played for them on Friday and Saturday nights.

He scored a goal and had an assist in the Saturday game. The Eagles have three more games this week to conclude their regular season, but Landeskog’s assignment was for a maximum of six days. The Avs could have petitioned the NHL for an extension, but he is rejoining the big club instead.

Colorado’s regular season ended Sunday night with a comeback win in Anaheim. The Avalanche will play Game 1 of an opening-round series against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center, likely on Saturday or Sunday.

Landeskog did not play in a hockey game for 1,020 days because of issues with his right knee stemming from an accidental skate cut just above the knee in Edmonton during the completion of the 2019-20 season.

He played through significant pain during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and has had several procedures to fix the knee, the most recent being knee cartilage replacement surgery in May 2023. No player has had that procedure and returned to play in the NHL, but Lonzo Ball had it done in March 2023 and returned for the Chicago Bulls this season.

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King, the University of Denver captain who had a breakout season to cap off a distinguished college career, signed an entry-level contract Monday with the Calgary Flames. He was one of the most sought-after undrafted free agents after the Pios’ season concluded with a loss to eventual national champion Western Michigan in the semifinals.

The 23-year-old King is a Calgary native and attended development camp with the Flames this past summer.

A two-time national champion, the Pios won 124 games during King’s career. He set career highs with 21 goals and 43 points in 44 games for DU this season, helping to lead the club to the Frozen Four for the third time in his career after winning national titles in 2022 and 2024.

He was part of the most productive line in college hockey this season, centering Jack Devine and Aiden Thompson. Both of his linemates signed this past weekend with the NHL clubs that drafted them — Devine with the Florida Panthers and Thompson with the Chicago Blackhawks.

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When the Avs hit the ice Sunday night at Honda Center to face the Anaheim Ducks, they already knew what lay ahead — a first-round blockbuster Stanley Cup Playoffs series with the Dallas Stars, which will likely begin next Saturday or Sunday deep in the heart of Texas.

Their coach just wanted them to play hard. Bednar hasn’t loved his team’s emotional engagement at times recently, but has also been sympathetic most nights, given the circumstances.

Mission accomplished.

Not only the did Avs play hard, they roared back for a 4-2 comeback victory despite having as many as 10 players in the lineup who might not be for Game 1.

“They had their legs and that’s a good young team, but we said we are here, so we’re going to try and win,” Avs defenseman Erik Johnson said. “I know we didn’t have a bunch of guys, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to give our best effort.”

Colorado scored four times in the third period, including Johnson’s first goal since returning to the franchise before the trade deadline. The highlight though was Wyatt Aamodt, a 27-year-old defenseman who made his NHL debut Saturday night, scoring his first NHL goal.

It kickstarted the rally after Anaheim led 2-0, and he had a lot of family members in the stand to see it.

“It’s been very emotional for myself and my family,” Aamodt said. “When you’re 27 years old, you start wondering if it’s going to happen. … These last two games weren’t just for me. It’s for my family as well.”

After bulldozing its way through the schedule for a month after the 4 Nations break, Colorado has cooled off with little left to play for and a mounting injury list. The Avalanche now sit at 102 points and are locked into a third-place finish in the Central Division. Because of a scheduling quirk, there will be more regular-season games around the league through Thursday night.

The Avs began Sunday in seventh place in the overall NHL standings. Defeating the Ducks gives them a better chance of staying ahead of a few teams behind them, but Colorado could still drop behind four teams — Carolina, Tampa Bay, Florida and Edmonton — as well.

In the short term, that is meaningless. But, as Bednar put it recently, if this team goes where it wants to — on a deep playoff run — finishing ahead of any of those teams could be the difference between having home-ice advantage in the Western Conference Final or Stanley Cup Final or not. The Avs will definitely begin the first round in Dallas and would likely begin the second round in Winnipeg, unless the conference-winning Jets get upset by either St. Louis or Minnesota.

While the Avs will have a long wait, it could be beneficial. Nathan MacKinnon skipped the final three games of the regular season because of a minor injury and should be fine for next weekend, but the status of Colorado’s other injured players — forwards Jonathan Drouin and Ross Colton, defensemen Josh Manson and Ryan Lindgren — is unclear.

“I hope so,” Bednar said when asked if expects them all back for Game 1. “I don’t know for certain though.”

A break could also be beneficial for goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, who made his final start of the regular season Saturday night and will make his first career Stanley Cup Playoffs start in Dallas. Blackwood has often been brilliant for the Avalanche after an early December trade.

But his past four outings, all during this stretch where the team has little to play for, have not been at the same level. He went 1-3 in those starts with an .866 save percentage.

“I think he hasn’t played as good as he did when he first got here,” Bednar said Saturday night. “So he’s got to hone in on his game here quickly. I still have a lot of confidence in him. I don’t know that you can blame him for some of the goals we gave up (Saturday night).”

Potentially the biggest development for the Avalanche during the final weekend of the regular season did not come in Southern California, but about 1,100 miles away in Loveland. Captain Gabe Landeskog played not just his first game in nearly three years, suiting up for the Colorado Eagles in his first career AHL game, but he played in back-to-back games and collected a goal and an assist Saturday night.

If his repaired right knee reacts favorably to the stress he put it through this past weekend, it is fair to expect he’ll be at Avalanche practice on Tuesday. The team will likely have an update on his status Monday.

“It’s been good. Honestly, it’s been really good,” Landeskog told reporters Saturday night in Loveland. “Obviously, I’ve been skating for a long time now, and I’ve been working on all nuances of skating. Like it’s one thing to be on the ice and skate and do certain drills, but it’s another one to do it in a game, (at) game speed and game intensity.

“I know I put the work in. I know I’ve put my time in and now this weekend, I’ve gotten a chance to just not put it to the test but take the next step and just trust my training, trust where my knee’s at, and it’s been feeling really good.”

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A lot has changed since then, but parsing out how much concern to have about the recent middling performances is not easy.

A team that did not look very much like the one that defeated the Kings by four goals March 27 at Ball Arena lost to Los Angeles, 5-4, on Saturday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena. It was Colorado’s second loss in a row and its fifth in eight games.

“Regardless of who was in the lineup, I like the way we competed,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We played with good detail. We certainly made a handful of mistakes we didn’t like. I think big picture, looking at the whole game — competitive, detailed. We were involved physically. I liked our skating. I thought we did a lot of good things.”

The Avalanche did not have stars Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Devon Toews, who are resting this weekend and did not travel with the team. Colorado was also without Jonathan Drouin, Ross Colton, Josh Manson and Ryan Lindgren because of injuries. Miles Wood did not play Saturday because of an illness.

That is $44.6 million against the club’s salary cap that was not available, and that doesn’t include captain Gabe Landeskog ($7 million). The Avs will likely have a similar lineup Sunday evening for the final game of the regular season against the Anaheim Ducks.

Quinton Byfield had three points, and Kevin Fiala scored twice for the Kings, who built a 2-0 lead with goals on their first two shots of the game.

“You’re not going to wear that one that one too hard, but you definitely want to keep yourself accountable in areas that maybe weren’t your sharpest,” said Avs goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, who made 27 saves.

While this was a relatively meaningless game for the Avalanche in the big picture, the club was still collectively buzzing about Landeskog’s return to the ice Friday night in Loveland with the Eagles. Blackwood said he watched the game on his phone while he was at dinner.

Bednar said the coaching staff got together to watch it as well.

“I was excited for (Landeskog),” Bednar said. “It looked like an amazing night. Talking to everyone who was there, it was great energy in the building. Everyone was excited for him. I think he handled it with class. Good for him to get in that game and to get almost 15 minutes.”

There were a few bright spots Saturday for the Avalanche. Brock Nelson scored his 300th career goal to get Colorado on the board and added No. 301 late in the third period.

Nelson now has five goals and 12 points in 18 games since arriving from the Islanders in a trade just before the NHL deadline. He scored on a cross-crease pass from fellow trade addition Charlie Coyle with the Avs on the power play at 10:39 of the first period.

Coyle has been the hottest Colorado player in April. He had just two points in his first 13 games with the Avs after the trade with the Bruins, but he now has eight in the past five contests.

Valeri Nichushkin has been the club’s most consistent goal scorer when available this season, and he evened the score early in the second. Artturi Lehkonen found Nichushkin with a great pass as he cut toward the left post for his 21st goal in 43 games, just 2:13 in.

Alex Laferriere and Anze Kopitar restored the Kings’ two-goal advantage before the end of the middle period.

Sam Malinski scored his fifth goal of the season midway through the third period. It was a wicked wrist shot from the right circle after a pass from Nichushkin to get Colorado back within a goal.

Among the reinforcements recalled from the Colorado Eagles, defenseman Wyatt Aamodt made his NHL debut for the Avs. Aamodt, 27, was an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State-Mankato. Has played 181 regular-season games and 18 playoff games for the Eagles since joining them in 2021-22.

His defense partner, Jack Ahcan, made his Avalanche debut. Ahcan, also 27, has spent the past two seasons with the Eagles. He played nine games for the Bruins across two seasons. Jere Innala, who played 15 games for the Avalanche earlier this season, also returned for his first NHL contest since Jan. 22.

“I think (Aamodt) and Jack did a great job back there,” Bednar said. “They were involved in the game physically, moved the puck well. Wyatt had a couple of big blocked shots in dangerous areas. Jack was up in the play. They did a nice job for coming up against a big, strong team.”

The Avs have now used 49 players this season, which ties for most in the NHL in the past 10 seasons and the franchise record, set by the Quebec Nordiques in 1989-90 and 1990-91.

Aamodt also became the ninth player to make his NHL debut for the Avalanche this season, the most in the NHL this season and second-most in franchise history (there were 11 in 2008-09).

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Landeskog will suit up again Saturday night for the Colorado Eagles at Blue Area in Loveland against the Henderson Silver Knights. The Colorado Avalanche captain returned Friday night after not playing since Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final on June 26, 2022.

He missed nearly three years because of issues with his right knee that began when Cale Makar’s skate accidentally cut him above his knee during a 2020 game inside the NHL’s “COVID bubble” in Edmonton. He’s had several procedures done, the most recent being knee cartilage replacement surgery in May 2023.

No player has returned from the procedure to NHL action, but Lonzo Ball had it done in March 2023 and has returned for the Chicago Bulls this season.

FloHockey will stream the game on its website with a subscription, but not for free, and on its social media platforms, similar to Friday night. The game will also air on the radio on 950 AM.

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Makar is the first NHL defenseman in 16 seasons to score 30 goals, and only the ninth player at his position to ever reach that milestone.

“What year did Mike Green do it? And Cale is a ‘98 (birthday)?” Middleton said. “So he was about 10 years old the last time it happened. We were all children back then.

“It’s honestly an honor to just be part of it. To watch it happen, it’s super cool.”

Green was the last NHL defenseman to do it, scoring 31 times for the Washington Capitals in 2008-09. And yes, Makar was 10 years old the day he did it.

Sam Malinski had another pretty good idea when asked the same question.

“I think it just means we are witnessing greatness,” he said. “That’s an unbelievable accomplishment, and it’s something we are all blessed to witness here.”

Makar played in the Avs’ first 80 games this season, but is expected to get the final weekend off. The Avs finish out the regular season Sunday in Anaheim, with a first-round playoff heavyweight fight looming against the Dallas Stars.

He still set a new franchise record for points by a defenseman with 92, giving him the top three spots on that list — all in the past four seasons.

“It’s awesome. I’m so happy for Cale,” Erik Johnson said. “I know he doesn’t care about it, but it’s pretty cool from our standpoint to have him do that and then probably have another Norris (Trophy) all locked up. It’s really exciting.”

“I think the game has changed since a defenseman last scored 30. I think there’s more scoring now than there was then, but I also just think the way the defensive position has changed, I think you’ll see it from Cale again, maybe a couple other guys I think have the talent to get there. But it is pretty remarkable.”

Before this season, The Denver Post wrote about what a peak season from Makar might look like — if he has “one of those years” like Nathan MacKinnon had in 2023-24. ESPN analyst Ray Ferraro suggested 30 goals and 100 points. Makar’s teammate, Josh Manson, also pointed to triple digits in points.

The scary thing is that this probably wasn’t the peak for Makar.

“Yeah, 30 goals by a defenseman is insane,” said Ryan Lindgren, who joined the team last month. “For me, you know how good of a player he is, but I used to only see him twice a year. You see the highlights and stuff, but then coming here and actually playing with him and seeing what he does on a nightly basis — I don’t want to say it’s not surprising that’s he able to do that, but I guess it kind of is. He just creates so much every night. It’s pretty cool to see.”

Makar’s list of traits that make him a world-class player is as long as the list of accomplishments that has him barreling toward a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He’s the complete package — skating, skill, smarts, selflessness and self-imposed expectations that can’t be satiated.

It’s always interesting to hear what some of the best hockey players in the world think about a guy who reaches heights that few can ever realistically dream of.

“Well, there’s a lot of things that he can do that not everyone can do,” Middleton said. “Obviously his skill set and skating is elite. But I think how he processes the game so fast — he can read through plays, he can pick off passes.

“Honestly, I think of it like the all-star QBs in the NFL, and how they process the game so quickly and efficiently. That’s what I see in Cale. It’s incredible, man. It really is impressive.”

Lindgren spent several years skating next to Adam Fox when he was with the New York Rangers. Fox has a Norris Trophy on his resume and is one of the top five defensemen in the league annually. Even in this woebegone Rangers campaign, Fox has been one of the best defensemen in the league.

He’s not Makar, though. And that might be another way to find proper perspective with what the kid from Calgary just accomplished and what might be yet to come.

“Just the way he skates, the way he’s able to get out of any situation. He’s got it all,” Lindgren said. “His hands can actually keep up with his skating. The way he thinks the game — also his shot, too. I didn’t realize how much of a bomb he has. His wrist shot is — he fires that thing.

“Yeah, he’s got it all. That’s why he’s the best defenseman in the world.”

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Landeskog will be in the lineup for the Colorado Eagles in an AHL contest at Blue Arena in Loveland against the Henderson Silver Knights. He has not played since June 26, 2022, when the Colorado Avalanche captain became the first player to lift the Stanley Cup for the franchise in 21 years.

How to watch Colorado Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog’s return to the ice tonight with the Colorado Eagles

He has not played since then because of issues with his right knee that began with an accidental skate cut during the completion of the 2019-20 season inside the NHL’s “COVID bubble.” Landeskog has had several procedures done on his knee, the most recent being knee cartilage surgery in May 2023.

No player has had that procedure and returned to NHL action, but Lonzo Ball had it done in March 2023 and returned for the Chicago Bulls earlier this season.

Landeskog can play for the Eagles because he is on a conditioning assignment from the Avalanche. He is still on long-term injured reserve, so he does not count against Colorado’s 23-man roster or the salary cap. The Avs play their final two games of the season Saturday and Sunday in Los Angeles and Anaheim.

Game 1 of a Stanley Cup Playoff opening-round series is expected to be next Saturday or Sunday. The Avs are all but certain to play in Texas against the Dallas Stars in one of the most anticipated opening-round series in recent NHL history.

Nathan MacKinnon, who is not traveling with the Avalanche because of a minor injury, is expected to attend Landeskog’s return at Blue Arena, which has become one of the hottest tickets in Eagles franchise history.

The game will also be broadcast for free by FloHockey on its various social media accounts.

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Short five regulars because of injuries, including the reigning MVP, the Colorado Avalanche dropped a 4-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks in the final home game of its regular season Thursday night.

The Nathan MacKinnon-less Avs looked like a team that didn’t have a lot to play for. The Canucks were missing four regulars, including center Elias Pettersson, and were eliminated from playoff contention Wednesday night.

“It’s about playing the right way, no matter what,” Avs goalie Mackenzie Blackwood said. “No matter who is in the lineup or who isn’t, it’s just trying to build good habits going into the playoffs. It shouldn’t be (a challenge).

“You’re only human. You can’t play every single game at your best, but you can try. I think it’s important that we keep trying to push and finish strong.”

Colorado has known for weeks that the Dallas Stars likely await in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With the Stars losing Thursday night to Winnipeg, it is all but assured that the Avs will be traveling to Texas next weekend for the start of a best-of-7 series. Dallas knocked Colorado out of the 2024 playoffs in six games.

Vancouver built a two-goal lead in the second period with a pair of tallies three minutes apart. Jake DeBrusk scored off a centering pass from Kiefer Sherwood at 4:50. Sherwood doubled the advantage at 7:51 with a shot from the right faceoff circle that beat Blackwood over his left shoulder.

Sherwood had never scored more than 10 goals in the NHL before this season, but he’s up to 19 this year — including four against the Avalanche.

“Just not skating. Bad decisions,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Our breakouts were terrible. Just … a tough time getting in and out of the zone tonight. It messes up your whole game.”

Devon Toews got one back for Colorado late in the second. Toews tipped a shot from the top of the zone by Charlie Coyle for his 10th goal of the season. It was also his second tip goal of the year — he did not have one in the NHL before this season.

Cale Makar, who became the only Avs player to appear in all 80 games this season, had an assist on the play. Makar now has 92 points this season, which extends his franchise record for a defenseman.

Makar is the fourth defenseman to score at least 92 points in a season since 1993, joining Quinn Hughes (92 last year), Roman Josi (96 in 2021-22) and Erik Karlsson (101 in 2022-23). An NHL defenseman has scored 92-plus points 26 times in league history, but only 10 players have done it.

“It’s kind of whatever the team wants,” Makar said when asked if he might rest this weekend. “We’ve had a lot of injuries recently, so we want to make sure guys are still dialed in and prepared for the playoffs. Whatever the team wants, I’ll be doing it.”

Dakota Joshua restored Vancouver’s two-goal advantage at 6:14 of the third period, and then Nils Hoglander tucked one into the empty net.

MacKinnon did not play in this game because of a minor injury. Bednar said Thursday morning that MacKinnon may not play this weekend in games at Los Angeles and Anaheim.

It was the first game MacKinnon has missed since Dec. 29, 2022. He had played in 209 regular-season consecutive contests.

MacKinnon is currently tied with Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov for the NHL scoring lead, but this likely ends his bid to win the Art Ross Trophy for the first time. If he doesn’t play this weekend, MacKinnon will finish with 32 goals and 116 points. That ties Peter Forsberg for the ninth-most points in a season in team history, and the third most since the franchise moved to Denver.

Defenseman Ryan Lindgren also joined the walking wounded after being injured Tuesday night against Vegas. The Avs are also still without forwards Ross Colton and Jonathan Drouin and defenseman Josh Manson.

“They’re all day-to-day now,” Bednar said. “We’re approaching the playoffs. If he doesn’t play this weekend, he’s day to day.”

There were positive developments on the injury front. Forward Martin Necas and defenseman Samuel Girard returned to the lineup. Necas started this game at center, the first time he’s played there since arriving in the blockbuster late January trade from Carolina.

There could be more good news Friday. Captain Gabe Landeskog is expected to participate in the Eagles’ morning skate Friday in Loveland, and the plan is for him to play that night. It would be his first hockey game since the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.

Landeskog is trying to come back from knee cartilage replacement surgery. No player has had the procedure and returned to NHL action before. If Landeskog does play Friday, it will be 1,021 days since he last played in a game.

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MacKinnon has missed several practices and morning skates lately. That has been part of his routine in recent seasons to help him stay fresh for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“He’s dealing with something,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “I think you get to this point in the year, all these guys are dealing with something. The guys who didn’t get the break for the Four Nations, this has been a tough stretch of games since then. So I think rest is part of it.”

MacKinnon, who has played every game this season and last, is currently tied for the NHL scoring lead with Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov. The reigning NHL MVP has never won the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s scoring leader.

If he does miss the final three games, MacKinnon will finish the season with 32 goals and 116 points in 79 games. That is tied with Peter Forsberg’s career high in 1995-96 for the ninth-most points in a season in franchise history. MacKinnon set the franchise record last season with 140 points en route to his first Hart Trophy.

“I’m listening to him,” Bednar said. “I don’t think individual accolades … like I think they’re nice. I think he’s won a lot of them. His trophy case is huge. I don’t think it matters to him. I think winning has always been the most important thing to him.

“Having accomplished that in 2022, I think he got a taste for it and he wants to win again. He’s going to make his decisions based on us winning and him feeling the best he can possibly come Game 1 in Dallas.”

Martin Necas and Samuel Girard will return to the lineup Thursday night for the Avs against Vancouver, while Ryan Lindgren is also dealing with an injury and will be out against the Canucks.

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