Penguins A to Z: What is Drew O’Connor’s role?
Share this post:
With the Penguins’ 2021-22 season coming to a quick ending in the first round of the playoffs, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 54 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until the 2022-23 season — with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to top-six winger Jason Zucker.
Drew O’Connor
Position: Left winger
Shoots: Left
Age: 24
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 200 pounds
2021-22 NHL statistics: 22 games, five points (three goals, two assists)
2021-22 AHL statistics: 33 games, 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists)
Contract: In the final year of a two-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $925,000. Entering a one-year contract with a salary cap hit of $750,000. Pending restricted free agent in the 2023 offseason.
(Note: Under his new contract, O’Connor remains exempt from waivers in the event of a recall or assignment involving Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.)
Acquired: Undrafted free-agent signing, March 10, 2020
Last season: After being rushed a bit to the NHL during the 2020-21 campaign, O’Connor was better prepared for the professional ranks entering 2021-22.
With the benefit of some experience and a strong offseason of training — to say nothing of the absence of franchise centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin due to injuries that required offseason surgery — O’Connor opened the season on the NHL roster and was even in the lineup for opening night. Working on the left wing of the fourth line, O’Connor recorded an assist in a 6-2 road win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Four nights later, O’Connor scored his first career goal during the home opener, a 5-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks.
On Oct. 23, O’Connor reached the high point of his young career. With veteran forward Jeff Carter sidelined due to covid-19, O’Connor was promoted as center of the second line and responded with two goals in a 7-1 home win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
O’Connor remained in the lineup until Nov. 14 when he was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to make room for Crosby’s return to the lineup. After that, it was kind of a mixed bag for O’Connor as far as being on the NHL roster.
Recalled on Nov. 28, O’Connor appeared in eight consecutive games then was sidelined for three games in early January due to his own bout with covid-19.
After recovering from that malady, O’Connor suffered a reported collapsed lung during a 2-1 road win against the San Jose Sharks that proved to be his final game of the NHL regular season.
Placed on long-term injured reserve, O’Connor recovered by Feb. 20 and was sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Fully healthy, O’Connor, working in a role among the top-six forwards, was productive in the AHL. In his final 28 games of the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, O’Connor posted 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists).
After signing a one-year contract extension March 12, he was recalled to the NHL roster April 30 at the onset of the NHL postseason.
During the Penguins’ first-round postseason loss to the New York Rangers, O’Connor appeared in two games, primarily as a replacement for injuries among the team’s incumbent forwards, and did not record a point.
The future: Given the salary cap crunch the Penguins could face this offseason with so many veterans scheduled to become free agents July 13, finding cheap options to fill out the bottom reaches of the rosters would seem to be prudent.
O’Connor would appear to be a leading candidate to aid that pursuit. His new contract is for the league minimum and he displayed a greater level of comfort in the NHL during his second professional season.
Blessed with some size, adequate skating and a fair amount of skill, O’Connor is an NHLer. And as a versatile player who can line up at either left wing or center, he can fill an assortment of roles for the team in a bottom-six role.
Add in his youth and the prospect of playing for a new contract after the 2022-23 season, O’Connor figures to offer some energy or enthusiasm a veteran might not be capable of providing.
There is a place for Drew O’Connor on this roster. It’s just a matter of defining his role.