While team practices were taking place, it was recently announced that forward Logan O’Connor will have season-ending hip surgery this week and will miss the rest of the regular season and any post-season games.
With 57 games played, O’Connor has 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points. He was having a career year, setting a new career high in goals, and was on pace to break his career highs in assists and points. There is no timeline for his recovery, but fans hope he can aim to be ready for the 2024-25 season.
Avalanche Lose Key Depth Piece
The Colorado Avalanche were one of the teams that emerged as clear winners after the trade deadline. They bolstered their top and bottom six and their defensive core for another run at the Stanley Cup, but this injury put a significant dent in their plans. While Yakov Trenin and Brandon Duhaime were excellent additions to the bottom six, O’Connor and his pairing with Miles Wood and Ross Colton have been outstanding this season, and they are one of the best lines the Avalanche have this season. That line in 282 minutes of play has a 56.2% xGoals (expected goals) and a 3.79 xGoals for per 60 minutes, which is the best on the Avalanche and eighth in the NHL. Defensively, that line has also been great; with a minimum ice time of 280 minutes played, that line is 11th in xGoals against (expected goals against) at 13.9.
As of the last game against the Minnesota Wild on March 8, Trenin has taken O’Connor’s spot on the third line and would assume to stay there for the foreseeable future. The Avalanche have had successful bottom-six production thanks to his help and that third-line pairing with Miles and Colton. He has had to step up numerous times with how this season has gone on and the injuries that occurred throughout it and has shown to his teammates and management that there’s more to his game, and he’s ready to step up when they need him the most.
Related: Avalanche’s Logan O’Connor Rising to Occasion
The Avalanche are currently 40-20-5 and sit third in the Central Division. They are just four points behind the Dallas Stars for first, with 89 points, and while the trade deadline helped move this team forward, this injury will sting come the playoffs when they need O’Connor the most.