Vancouver Canucks sign Drew O'Connor to cheap two-year contract extension
Vancouver Canucks management must have liked what they saw from Drew O’Connor.
After just four games with his new team, the Canucks announced today that they have signed the 26-year-old winger to a two-year contract extension worth $2.5 million per season.
“Drew has really made a good first impression since joining our team from Pittsburgh at the beginning of the month,” said Canucks GM Patrik Allvin. “We like his size, speed, and ability to get in on the forecheck and hound pucks. Our staff also feel confident that they can help Drew take his game to another level, and we are excited to see what the future holds for him with the Vancouver Canucks.”
The Canucks raised some eyebrows when they flipped a first-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a trade that saw two pending unrestricted free agents come to Vancouver. That has now been rectified, as both O’Connor and defenceman Marcus Pettersson have new contracts.
O’Connor has a rare combination of size (6-foot-4, 209 pounds) and speed, which makes him tailor-made for Rick Tocchet’s system. Not only has O’Connor impressed Tocchet with his forechecking ability, he has contributed on the score sheet as well. O’Connor has two goals in his first four games with Vancouver, which includes scoring a rare overtime winner on a penalty shot.
The Canucks have five pending unrestricted free agents left on their roster, including Brock Boeser, Pius Suter, Derek Forbort, Noah Juulsen, and Kevin Lankinen. That should present management with some interesting decisions ahead of the March 7 trade deadline.