NHL: Gabriel Landeskog injury update, Nicklas Backstrom pain free, and more news
Anthony Scultore
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NHL Training Camps are in full swing for all 32 teams with some key injury news continuing to pour in.
Almost every club is dealing with some lingering issues to some of their players from last season. Most injuries are not expected to linger to far beyond camp.
Unfortunately for some like Golden Knights forward Nolan Patrick and possibly the Flyers’ Ryan Ellis, they will miss the season.
Here’s more injury updates and some signing news.
Gabriel Landeskog to miss start of season
The Colorado Avalanche come into this season as defending Stanley Cup champions, but will be starting without their captain Gabriel Landeskog.
“‘Landy’ is dealing with an injury from last season, lower body, and he’s not ready to go,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said Thursday. “We don’t have a timetable yet for putting him on the ice. He won’t skate anytime soon.”
NHL.com
Landeskog, 29, registered 59 points in 51 regular season games in 2021-22. He missed significant time last year due to knee surgery which took place on March 14.
Colorado opens against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 12, and Landeskog is in jeopardy of missing that contest.
Nicklas Backstrom expects to return
Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom is on track to play at some point this season after undergoing hip surgery in June.
“I’m going to start off by saying I’m pain free,” the center said Thursday, the first day of training camp. “No more pain that I had before. I’m feeling good. I’m in the gym working out, doing my rehab. So far, so good. I’m very optimistic that I’m going to play before the season ends.”
NHL.com
Backstrom, 34, notched 31 points in 47 games in 2021-22. He has 1,011 points in 1,058 career games since joining the Capitals as the fourth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft.
In other Caps injury news, forward Tom Wilson is making his way back from ACL surgery performed on May 24. The expected recovery time is 6 to 8 months, which puts him on schedule for a midseason return.
“I feel good,” Wilson said via NHL.com. “I feel like I’ve kind of been ahead of schedule per se since Day One, but that doesn’t mean much unfortunately. Obviously, I want to be as good as I can every day, but you’ve still got to wait.”
Wilson, 28, posted 52 points in 78 games for the Capitals this season. He has 273 points in 647 career contests.
Oilers ink Ryan McLeod
The Edmonton Oilers signed their restricted free agent forward Ryan McLeod to a one-year deal worth $798,000 on Thursday.
McLeod, 23, tallied 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 71 games last season. He added three goals in 16 postseason games.
He was a second-round pick by Edmonton in the 2018 draft.
Sabres extend GM Kevyn Adams
The Buffalo Sabres signed general manager Kevyn Adams to a multiyear contract extension.
The team did not announce terms of the extension. He’s entering his third season as GM.
“Kevyn’s leadership and vision over the past two seasons has proven to be invaluable, and I am confident in his ability to continue to move us forward as an organization,” Sabres owner Terry Pegula said in a statement Wednesday. “He is respected by players, coaches, staff, and peers around the league alike due to the poise with which he carries himself and the respect he reciprocates to every individual he encounters.”
Adams has been with the club since 2009, when he started as a player development coach. He was elevated to vice president of business administration in January 2019 before being named GM the following year.
–Field Level Media contributed to this article