The Avalanche should get a familiar boost back in the lineup Friday night.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar said Monday that forward Logan O’Connor is expected to make his season debut when the Avalanche host the Tampa Bay Lightning. O’Connor has been on injured reserve, which means he has to wait until Friday to return.
His path back has been anything but straightforward. O’Connor missed Colorado’s final two preseason games with a lower-body injury and was ruled out for the team’s season opener last month.
Then, just as he was trending toward returning more than a week ago, he stepped away from the team to be with his family after the passing of his father, which was announced on Oct. 8.
Now the 30-year-old is aiming for a healthier run the rest of the way in the 2026-27 season. Last year was delayed from the start, too, with offseason hip surgery keeping him out until March. He managed only two assists in 13 regular-season games, but still chipped in a goal and an assist during Colorado’s march to the Western Conference Final, where the Presidents’ Trophy winners were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights.
This will be O’Connor’s ninth season with the Avalanche. The Missouri City, Texas native has long been a dependable depth presence in Denver, while also flashing more offense at times - including four straight 20-point seasons before the 2025-26 campaign.
O’Connor is in the second season of the six-year extension he signed in September 2024. The contract carries an AAV of $2.5 million and includes a modified no-trade clause with a six-team no-trade list submitted by the player.
Colorado, now 5-2-1, is back in action Monday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
In Other News...
Avalanche Open Road Trip With One Lineup Issue Fans Will Notice
The Avalanche head into a two-game road trip with a lineup wrinkle that should stand out right away: theyll be without Nic Roy, Zachary LHeureux and Logan OConnor because of injuries. That leaves Colorado trying to get through the start of the trip shorthanded against a Flyers team that is still looking to steady itself after picking up its first win of the season.
Mackenzie Blackwood is set to get the start in goal for Colorado, adding another layer to a game that already carries a bit of early-road-trip pressure. Philadelphia will counter with Joseph Woll, and while the Flyers have shown some life with that recent win, they remain a team still battling issues on both ends of the ice, which gives the Avalanche a chance to settle in quickly if their remaining lineup can hold up. [Read more 🡒]
Cale Makar Just Got The Kind Of Praise Avs Fans Love
Cale Makar is already one of the defining players of the Avalanche era, and now he has a little more outside validation to go with it. Drew Doughty, a former Norris Trophy winner himself, recently called Makar the best defenseman in the NHL and said he should win the award every year, the kind of praise that tends to land well in Colorado, where Makar has long been viewed as the standard-bearer on the blue line.
He has backed up that reputation quickly this season, opening with three goals and nine points in seven games after offseason surgery. The Avalanche have also started leaning into his shot more on the power play, adjusting their approach to feature him from the point. It is another sign that, even while the team is still settling into the season, Makar remains the player opponents have to account for first. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche May Have Found The Third Line Bednar Needed
A third line has started to look like more than just a stopgap for the Avalanche, and that matters for a team that has spent recent seasons searching for reliable depth beyond its top scorers. Jaden Schwartz, Fedor Svechkov and T.J. Hughes have given Colorado a different kind of balance early on, with the group driving play well enough to tilt shot attempts and scoring chances in the right direction.
Schwartz brings the steady hand of a veteran, Svechkov has handled the defensive and penalty-kill work, and Hughes has provided the kind of energy and offensive spark that can change a shift. Jared Bednar has sounded encouraged by the way those pieces fit together, and if the line keeps this up, it could end up giving Colorado the kind of third-unit support that pays off in tighter games later on. [Read more 🡒]