The Pittsburgh Penguins are on the cusp of what could be one of the most transformative summers in franchise history. As they continue to work on the contracts of franchise legends Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, it is becoming clear that opportunities will be available at the bottom of the lineup for some of the younger players in the organization.
While names like Valtteri Puustinen and Sam Poulin are garnering interest and will have a shot at cracking the opening night roster, Drew O'Connor should be leading the charge for the Penguins youth movement.
O'Connor celebrated his 24th birthday earlier this week and has been knocking on the door of the NHL for the past two seasons. As a college free agent, O'Connor signed with the Penguins in 2020 after playing for two seasons at Dartmouth College.
The young power forward surprised everyone during his first training camp by making the opening night roster for the 2020-21 season. O'Connor spent most of that season on the taxi squad but did play in 10 games that season, collecting one assist.
This past season, O'Connor cracked the opening game lineup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played in 22 games this year and finished with three goals and two assists on the campaign. While Penguins management felt he still had some things to work on, they signed him to an extension through next season worth $750k.
After finishing the regular season with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, O'Connor was called up to be an alternate for the Penguins playoff roster. Due to the injuries of Rickard Rakell and Brian Boyle, O'Connor got his first taste of playoff hockey, playing in both Games 2 and 6 of the Penguins series against the New York Rangers.
O'Connor averaged only 5:41 of ice time in those games but displayed his maturity and defensive prowess. His forechecking ability and physicality were shown off early in those playoff games, giving Penguins management a taste of what they can expect from him next season.
His large frame (6'3", 200lbs.) would instantly become the biggest-bodied winger on the Penguins current roster, and his powerful skating stride would be a welcomed addition to the Penguins bottom line.
Drew O'Connor showed another layer to his game this season in the minors as he nearly eclipsed a point per game in the AHL by scoring 32 points in 33 games. No one expects him to replicate that at the NHL level, but his slight scoring touch would work well on a line with Teddy Blueger, who has similar traits.
While he has made progress since the last offseason, O'Connor still has some areas in his game that need ironing out. His early season demotion was primarily because he wasn't effective enough on the penalty kill, which cost him a roster spot in favor of guys like Brian Boyle and Zach Aston-Reese. Even with his slight offensive upside, O'Connor will not be a power play option, which will make it hard for him to stick at the top level without improving his penalty-killing abilities.
When Penguins general manager Ron Hextall signed him to that one-year extension in March, it was a challenge. A challenge for O'Connor to step his game up and make himself an NHL regular moving forward into the final years of the Sidney Crosby era.
With the Penguins organization having a depleted prospect pool, there are just a handful of options outside of O'Connor, but he has shown in recent years to be the most NHL-ready. Only time will tell, but Drew O'Connor seems primed to become a full-time NHL regular with the Penguins next season.
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