Jared Bednar gives devastating update on Logan O'Connor

The Colorado Avalanche were expecting for Logan O'Connor to return from offseason hip surgery by at least early December, but he has yet to make his debut this season here as the year has officially come to a close. There's been few updates along the way, but the most recent update doesn't sound promising for his return.

In the offseason, O'Connor had hip surgery in early June and was projected to be out about 5-6 months. With a return window between early Novemeber and early December, all early signs of recovery were promising. He began skating at practice in October and was slated to be ready for an early November return. But he suffered a setback unrelated to his surgery around November 20th. Since then, we've heard little to no news.

Coach Jared Bednar's update is worrisome

In an Altitude Sports Radio interview after the Avs' 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings, head coach Jared Bednar was asked for an update on Logan O'Connor's return and his response makes it seem as though he isn't anywhere close to returning. Bednar stated that O'Connor wasn't close and that he wasn't comfortable with putting any kind of timeline on his return.

The Avalanche would benefit greatly from the return of O'Connor as his play often provides a spark for the bottom-six. While the Avalanche are cruising at the top of the standings, there are a few areas for improvement. The bottom-six has played well, especially the fourth line, but the depth scoring from the third line just isn't quite there. In addition, O'Connor is one of the league's best penalty killers and improving the league's top penalty kill is never a bad thing.

Adding him to the mix would allow Bednar to have more flexibility at the bottom of the forward lineup. While he's not a center, O'Connor's return would give the Avalanche enough depth in the bottom six to make it more palatable to move someone for that center position. With the emergence of Gavin Brindley (though he reportedly tweaked something on Wednesday), the Avs will more than be able to move someone, like Victor Olofsson or Ross Colton, at the trade deadline.

In addition to making it easier to move someone at the deadline, the Avs' depth also allows them to be cautious with O'Connor's return. The Avs have done a good job the past few seasons of allowing players to heal properly before returning so there's no risk of re-injury. They did well bringing back both Sam Girard and Mackenzie Blackwood earlier this season.

O'Connor is my favorite player, so I've been dying to see him play this season. However, as much as I want him to return, I'd rather him return healthy and have him ready for the most important time of the year. Hopefully he can get healthy and hit the ice soon.