Logan O’Connor once again has had hip surgery. Last season O’Connor’s season was cut short because of a hip procedure in March. He did not participate in any playoff games last season because of the surgery. 

This season, the 28 year-old had his second hip surgery in 16 months. O’Connor is expected to be out of the lineup for at least five to six months for recovery. 

Why is this Concerning?

The University of Denver alum is only 28 and now has had two hip surgeries. Will this affect how he plays? The Mayor has always been one of the faster players on the team. If he has to change his stride to compensate, it could slow him down. O’Connor also has been a heavy hitter on the bottom-six, this may change as well. He signed a six-year extension in September last season that will take him through 2031 with the Avalanche.

A Blessing in Disguise

The window for return will put O’Connor coming back in early November or early December. As of right now the Colorado Avalanche only have $1.2 million in cap space left after re-signing Brock Nelson. This could provide a little relief on the cap for the Avalanche if they put O’Connor on long-term injured reserve. The main issue is, there is no telling when he will actually return to the lineup. The advantage? He has been through hip surgery before , so he knows exactly what it takes to rehab and get back to the lineup.

The Avalanche will once again start the season without a healthy lineup. Gabriel Landeskog has indicated that he will return for the start of the 2025–26 season. This would have been the first time in three years that the Avalanche would have had a fully healthy lineup since June of 2022. O’Connor came back stronger the last time he got hip surgery, we can only hope that will be the case this fall.