Marcus Pettersson might’ve been the headliner in the February 1st trade, but the acquisition of Drew O’Connor in the transaction shouldn’t be overlooked. Coming to the Vancouver Canucks in a time where the forward group was pretty decimated, O’Connor was slotted in an elevated role in the lineup for a good chunk of his 31 games in Vancouver.
So, how did he do? The 6’4″ winger put in a strong account of himself through to the end of the season, showing off the physical tools at his disposal in nearly every contest. O’Connor’s speed and size were featured prominently in every contest that he played, and that allowed him to be used in a wide variety of situations for the Canucks.
The point totals weren’t jumping off the page, with just four goals and five assists for nine points as a Canuck thus far. However, the entire team just wasn’t clicking, and with little top-end talent around, it’s hard to fault O’Connor entirely for the lack of production. Still, he demonstrated some pretty nice hands and a good shot at his disposal. DOC isn’t too far removed from the 2023-24 campaign, where he tallied 33 points in 79 games for the Penguins, so it stands to reason that there’s offensive touch to be had.
O’Connor was one of only 13 Canucks to finish above 50.00 CF% for the season, ranking as the sixth-best with his 52.53 CF%. Obviously, his sample size is going to be smaller than a lot of the others on the team, but there was definitely a lot to like about his game in just those games played. Especially as Vancouver looks to round out their forward group, O’Connor should be able to create consistent energy at the minimum, with the distinct possibility of point production.
One thing that is worth keeping an eye on going forward is O’Connor’s penalty killing duties. He found himself on PK2 with Kiefer Sherwood as the other forward, and despite only arriving in February, he played 36:31 minutes shorthanded. The results were solid as well. In those minutes, he was on ice for six goals against, producing the eighth-best CF% and fifth-best xGF% amongst all penalty killers.
It will be interesting to see just what his role will be in the upcoming year. Coming off a World Championship win with the USA, O’Connor possesses the size and speed that will make any coach drool. And at 27, he might still have a little bit of room to grow. At the minimum, the Canucks would be worse off without him in the middle six. The versatility that O’Connor can bring to this lineup promises to make him at least a useful wing option, even if there isn’t that high-end talent. The fact that Vancouver re-signed him to a $2.5 million AAV deal for two years should speak to the belief that management has in him to be a contributor for this team.
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