The Vancouver Canucks may have a useful trade chip in veteran winger Drew O’Connor, and contending teams looking for scoring depth could be paying attention.
The Fourth Period put O’Connor on its November trade watch list, pointing to him as a player playoff-bound clubs may circle. Vancouver is reportedly open to moving several veterans in exchange for younger, NHL-ready talent, and O’Connor fits that kind of conversation. He’s 28 and playing on an expiring contract.
The Fourth Period described him this way: “O’Connor is a versatile mid-six forward whom the Canucks know will attract plenty of interest this season. His name is already making the rounds and contenders will come calling, though like others on this list, a move may not occur until closer to the trade deadline”
There’s no rush for Vancouver to make a decision. O’Connor has had a slower start offensively, with only 5 points in 18 games, and he knows he hasn’t been at his best.
“I feel like I haven’t done enough of the things that make me a good player consistently enough. There’s been a lot of games where the game’s over and I feel like I didn’t really have a lot of looks, a lot of chances, didn’t win enough battles. So when I’m doing those things and defending well, then everything else comes.”
Letting one of the team’s fastest players settle in could be the smarter play. As the season moves along, playoff races tighten and injuries create openings on contender rosters, O’Connor’s value could rise. Right now he looks like a depth option; if he finds his game and the market gets thinner, that changes quickly.
Vancouver could also try to get a return similar to the one it received for Kiefer Sherwood, when it sent him to the San Jose Sharks last season for a pair of picks.
There’s still a case for keeping O’Connor, too. Rebuilding teams need veterans who can help establish a standard for younger players, and he’s experienced enough to provide that kind of stability while still fitting a longer timeline. If he’s willing to sign an extension at a reasonable number, holding onto him could be more valuable than landing a couple of picks.
For now, the Canucks are expected to listen on O’Connor and several other key players. A team that is struggling this season is likely to explore moving some assets, and O’Connor could be one of them.
In Other News...
Canucks Keep Spiraling But One Young Forward Is Giving Fans Hope
The Canucks season has already hit an ugly early checkpoint, with a 3-14-1 start that has left the club chasing answers after setting a franchise record for losses through its first 18 games. A recent 6-2 defeat to the Winnipeg Jets only reinforced the familiar problems, from penalty-kill issues to defensive breakdowns, and there has been little about the teams overall form to suggest an immediate fix is around the corner.
Liam Ohgren has been one of the few bright spots tucked inside that mess. After spending time as a healthy scratch earlier in the season, the young forward has started to find his footing and has given the Canucks something to point to beyond the standings, with his recent run offering a small but meaningful sign that not every part of the roster is stuck in the same spiral. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Paying For Drew OConnor Problem As Malhotra Loses Patience
Drew OConnors start to the season has become a problem the Canucks cant keep ignoring. Through 18 games, the winger has piled up more minor penalties than anyone else on the roster, and the timing has only made the damage worse for a team already trying to steady its penalty kill. His season has also fallen well short of what Vancouver has come to expect from him, turning a useful depth piece into a nightly source of frustration.
Manny Malhotras patience appeared to wear thin after OConnor took an early hooking penalty in a recent game, a mistake that fed directly into goals against. For a club that needs cleaner shifts and fewer self-inflicted wounds, those kinds of lapses have a way of standing out fast. The Canucks are still waiting for OConnor to settle in, but the longer this pattern continues, the harder it gets to separate his individual struggles from the teams bigger special-teams issues. [Read more 🡒]
Former Canucks Top Prospect Suddenly Faces Another Career Crossroads
Jack Rathbone is back in the conversation after a season lost to injury, and the former Canucks top prospect has suddenly found himself at another career crossroads. Buffalo placed the defenseman on waivers as he gets ready to return to game action, a procedural step that signals the Sabres are weighing their next move with a player who still has some name recognition in Vancouver circles.
For Canucks fans, Rathbones path has been one of those familiar prospect stories that never quite settled into a clear lane. If he goes unclaimed, Buffalo will have the option to send him to Rochester, where he can try to rebuild momentum and get his season moving again. [Read more 🡒]