Logan O’Connor is set to give the Avalanche a familiar jolt Friday night, and Jared Bednar already knows where he wants that energy to land.
O’Connor will make his season debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning, returning after a stretch that began with a preseason injury on Sept. 21.
He missed three regular-season games while working back from a lower-body issue, then stepped away from the team after his father’s sudden passing. During that absence, Colorado placed him on long-term injured reserve.
When he does re-enter the lineup, O’Connor is expected to slide onto the fourth line with Parker Kelly and likely another forward brought up from the Colorado Eagles. Bednar likes what that pairing can do when it’s rolling.
“Putting Parker Kelly and OC (O’Connor) and that line back together - that helps. They’re a momentum-turning line,” Bednar said. “They can grind teams down in the offensive zone, get a shift started your way when other lines are having trouble because of their forechecking ability, because of their work ethic, because of their detail in the offensive zone, and it can help get it started, so other lines can sort of find their footing.”
For Kelly, the return is personal as much as tactical. He and O’Connor formed a useful fourth-line combo last season, although injuries kept the partnership from ever really getting going.
Kelly himself missed most of last season while rehabbing from offseason hip surgery and didn’t get back until March 24. In 13 regular-season games, he had two points, then added two more in 13 playoff games.
This season, he’s been trying to settle into a different setup - 11 forwards and seven defensemen - and admits his own game hasn’t quite clicked.
“I don’t think I’m doing anything bad to hurt the team. It’s more just a little bit mental, like ‘Hey, you’re all right.
We’re 10 games in, so 74 games left. Lots of time to get your game where you want it to be,'” Kelly said.
“… I’d say for me, most of it’s mental, but I do love watching it. You learn from watching your bad stuff.
So the more I watch video, the more I can learn from it and move on. And just keep getting in a good headspace every game.
Come to the rink and just be happy to be here. So yeah, me - 90% mental, 10% watching the video.”
Kelly said having O’Connor back alongside him should help steady things. He pointed to their shared style, the familiarity in where each player goes on the ice and the way O’Connor carries himself in the room and on the bench.
“He helps me a lot. I know exactly where he’s going to be.
He runs the same routes as I do. Very similar players.
He talks, and he’s a veteran of the game, brings a lot of experience. He stays calm on the bench, keeps me calm.
It’s very next-shift mentality when we’re together,” Kelly said about his linemate. “I’m just looking forward to trying to be more of an impact, be able to be a bit of a game changer, like I was last year.
Get back to help swing momentum, get an energy shift. That’s just something that the last couple games have been tough for me to find.
Get in the video room, watch my game, and now that OC is back, we can watch the video together and figure out how to get back on track.”
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