Logan O'Connor participated in morning skate on Tuesday.
DENVER — After a prolonged battle with hip surgery and setbacks, Logan O’Connor may soon be back on the ice for Colorado.
After months of rehab and patience, there are finally signs that the Avalanche winger could return to action sooner rather than later.
O’Connor took part in morning skate on Tuesday, marking one of the most encouraging steps of his comeback. Head coach Jared Bednar sounded optimistic after watching him on the ice. The winger will travel with the team and continue skating during upcoming road games in Seattle and Winnipeg, before returning home next Monday to face the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Colorado can’t ask for much more than incremental progress right now, especially after a successful trade deadline. O’Connor, a key penalty-killer and reliable fourth-line presence, has tallied at least 20 points in each of the last four seasons, including 13 goals in 2023-24 and 10 last year.
The former University of Denver product is also locked in for the long term, signed through 2031 at $2.5 million per season, cementing his place in Colorado’s plans.
After such a prolonged and occasionally frustrating rehab, the hope is that O’Connor will first skate with the Colorado Eagles for a conditioning stint, and eventually make his return in an Avalanche sweater. Tuesday’s skate suggests that day may finally be within reach.
The Avalanche have missed O’Connor more than they’re willing to admit. Although Colorado ranks third in the NHL in the penalty kill at 83.1%, O’Connor led all Avalanche forwards in shorthanded ice time per game during both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
In other words, when O’Connor is healthy — despite multiple hip surgeries — he is generally the Avs’ most elite penalty killer. He also has six career shorthanded goals, three of which came during the 2023-24 season, and he notched one postseason shorthanded goal last year in the first-round series against the Dallas Stars.
All signs point to Logan O’Connor inching closer to a full return. If he can stay healthy, the Avalanche will soon regain one of their most reliable defensive forwards and a key piece of their penalty-killing unit.
