Pittsburgh Penguins sign Drew O’Connor to two-year, $925,000 deal

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Drew O’Connor to a two-year contract extension worth $925,000 per season.

O’Connor managed to avoid arbitration with the new deal ahead of his hearing on Friday.

An undrafted free agent, OConnor had a career-high five goals and 11 points in 46 games with the Penguins. He also spent time in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, registering eight goals and 22 points in contests. The 25-year-old has eight goals and 17 points in 78 contests, all with the Penguins.

O’Connor had a strong showing with USA’s World Championship team, scoring three goals and eight points in his national team debut. The Americans ultimately fell to Latvia in the bronze medal game.

Prior to turning pro, O’Connor spent two years at Dartmouth College, recording 38 goals and 59 points in 65 NCAA contests. He was named Ivy-League Player of the Year in 2020 for his efforts.

With O’Connor signed, the Penguins are $3.216 million over the cap. The team has no remaining RFAs left to sign, so they’ll have to make some moves ahead of the season to be fully cap compliant.