Logan O’Connor ‘never gets enough respect,’ and he deserves more of it

“He’s a guy that never gets enough respect,” NBCSN lead analyst Pierre McGuire said of Avs forward Logan O’Connor during Sunday’s broadcast of the Avs and L.A. Kings.

This, on a night when O’Connor captured plenty of attention from fans—and the broadcast crew—as he was buzzing all over the ice, tipping pucks, was hard on forechecks and fired a team-high—and NHL career-high—five shots on net. It was hard not to notice O’Connor when he was on the ice.

For his efforts, he was awarded with a season-high 15:10 of ice time. 

Logan O’Connor is clearly earning the respect of the coaching staff and his teammates as his minutes have steadily risen from the 8-9-minute average at the beginning of the season, to the now 12:30 he’s been averaging over the last month. 

Pierre is right; O’Connor doesn’t get enough respect. While effort may not be a tangible or measurable metric to judge a player, it’s something you’d be remiss to overlook.

“I always use an expression when describing a player as ‘what kind of visibility does he gain when he plays?’,” Colorado Eagles head coach Greg Cronin said. “I think anyone watching on TV or in the stands are immediately drawn to his energy, his skating. He’s not just a good skater, he’s relentless.”

Relentless is probably the best word for O’Connor’s style of play. He’s hard on the forecheck and tough in the corners; he’s a pest to play against, and he’s exactly the kind of forward the Avalanche need.