The Oilers will primarily be looking for help on the blue line in a trade this season, but recent reports have connected the team to forward Drew O'Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Edmonton has been connected to defenceman Marcus Pettersson from the Penguins, but Oilers insider Bob Stauffer suggests there could be a deal for both the forward and defenceman. The Pittsburgh Penguins themselves recently declared a fire sale in trades.
Pettersson is a 28 year old left shot defenceman in the final year of his contract that pays him $4.025M, and he could be a fit for the Oilers blue line if the team believes one defender can play their off-side. However, it's much easier to see where Drew O'Connor could fit into the lineup.
O'Connor is a 26 year old left winger with 175 career games played with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of college, and has become a quality depth player in Pittsburgh, but there could be even more to unlock.
In his last few seasons, O'Connor has posted strong analytics results, and it matches the eye test. O'Connor plays the game at a fast pace, hard on the forecheck, defensively responsible, and has the ability to bang in a few scoring chances. He has a career high of 16 goals and 33 points in 77 games last season, and earned some ice time with Sidney Crosby in the last two years.
O'Connor has been a fixture on the Penguins penalty kill, and could potentially help the Oilers who currently have the league's worst. Check out this incredible solo effort from O'Connor shorthanded.
The Oilers may feel a need to inject some youth, speed, and two-way ability into the NHL's Oldest bottom six forward group, and Drew O'Connor could be a great candidate for just that. For a forward trade, it makes sense that the Oilers would act faster to give their veterans chances to rest through the year. We'll see if the Oilers decide to act quickly, or hold off until the trade deadline.
