Three depth forwards won’t travel with the Colorado Avalanche for their upcoming two-game road trip. Zachary L’Heureux, Nic Roy and Logan O’Connor will all stay back in Denver and skate with skills coach Mark Popovic when the Avs depart Sunday for back-to-back games in Philadelphia and New Jersey.
L’Heureux, who is dealing with an upper-body injury, has missed the last three games after sitting out the first two games of the season with the same issue. He has one assist, a fighting major and six shots in three games.
Roy (lower body) has missed each of the last two games. He has been more productive offensively, recording two goals and four points in six games.
Both Roy and L’Heureux remain day-to-day, but head coach Jared Bednar is still waiting for a clearer picture of their timelines. Following Saturday’s practice, Bednar said he doesn’t think day-to-day is the best way to describe their situations, but week-to-week might be too long of a label.
As for O’Connor, the Avalanche forward is healthy and ready to play. However, he has yet to dress this season after dealing with a preseason injury and taking a personal leave following the death of his father, Myles, earlier this month. Bednar said O’Connor will stay back in Denver to get up to speed while he waits for his opportunity to return to the lineup.
O’Connor’s return is also tied to the salary cap. The Avalanche placed him on long-term injured reserve several days ago, retroactive to opening night, to gain cap relief and create room to recall forward Gavin Brindley following the injuries to L’Heureux and Roy.
Because of the LTIR designation, O’Connor must satisfy the minimum requirements of 10 games or 24 days before he can return. Bednar said O’Connor will be ready to play as soon as he meets those benchmarks, which makes next Friday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Ball Arena his return date.
The Avs will depart Sunday before facing the Flyers on Monday and the Devils on Tuesday.