Young Pittsburgh Penguins Forward Drew O’Connor has been struggling mightily so far this season. In 37 games this season, O’Connor has just ten points including three goals. He also has a +/- of -14. O’Connor also has not scored a goal in 30 games.
The Penguins forward had a career high 33 points last season. He has spent most of this season on the second line alongside Michael Bunting and Evgeni Malkin. O’Connor on the second line has not been producing this year and especially not on the second line where he should be.
Taking his place on the second line should be Phillip Tomasino. Tomasino has spent most of his Penguins tenure on the second line and has been producing pretty well with Malkin. In 13 games with the Penguins, Tomasino has four goals and an assist.
Something Needs To Change For O’Connor
O’Connor needs to either be moved down in the lines or healthy scratched until he is playing better. When he is on the ice, it is essentially a 4 on 5 as he does not contribute. The best option is to switch Tomasino and O’Connor. O’Connor would then be with Anthony Beauvillier and Cody Glass.
Another option would be to healthy scratch O’Connor. Another guy that could step up if O’Connor is healthy scratched is veteran forward Kevin Hayes. In 22 games this season, Hayes has seven points. Like O’Connor, his defence has not been good by any means, however, he provides more offence than O’Connor which could be worth it.
Hayes last played December 10th against the Colorado Avalanche. He’s due to being in the lineup and trying to make an impact. The Penguins need to give Hayes as much playing time as possible to showcase his talent to other teams that would be interested in trading for him at the trade deadline. Due to his age and the direction of the Penguins, Hayes is not part of their long-term plan so they might as well field offers for him and look to move him. With the Penguins making a push to get back into the playoff mix, adding Hayes to the lineup can’t hurt. It’s certainly a better option than a player who is struggling to find his way. Worse case scenario, find a different option if this one doesn’t work out for the team.
What Happens If This Works?
During practice on Sunday, it seems like O’Connor will be demoted to the third line in its rematch with the New York Islanders. O’Connor will also be moving to left wing and playing with Glass and Tomasino. In his place, Bunting moves to second line right wing and Beauvillier slides up to second line left wing.
If the Penguins win and Drew O’Connor can register a point, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan should look at keeping these lines long-term. If it does not work, O’Connor should be healthy scratched.
This demotion and/or a healthy scratch could be good for him as well. Playing in the bottom-six and less minutes puts less pressure on him offensively.
Defensively, O’Connor needs to be a lot better as well. His -14 is a career low and he is just four penalty minutes away from tying a career high. This season is important for O’Connor as well as he is a restricted free agent. If he continues to have a disappointing season, the Penguins may not bring him back as their depth is improved from years prior. Also, they have two or three prospect forwards waiting to come up next season. O’Connor needs to step up and soon otherwise his Penguins tenure may end soon.
Main Photo: Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images
The post Young Penguins Forward Struggling appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.