The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that forward Drew O'Connor had signed a two-year contract extension worth $5 million, meaning that both sides had identified a fit with each other, at least for the short-term.
For O'Connor, 26, and the Canucks, such a move makes plenty of sense.
From the Canucks' side of things, much of the roster can still be considered to be in flux. Key center Elias Pettersson continues to struggle, even after the J.T. Miller trade. Quinn Hughes has played through injury and is apparently still injured, leaving O'Connor's pal from Pittsburgh, Marcus Pettersson, to handle the No. 1 defenceman duties.
Is Filip Chytil capable of staying healthy enough to grow into a reliable center? Sniper winger Brock Boeser, too, is in need of a new contract.
All in all, O'Connor, Marcus Pettersson, and Kevin Lankinen - all acquired within the last six months - have signed contract extensions with the Canucks.
Drew O'Connor contract gets an A
With all the standout players mentioned above, how does O'Connor stand out? And why is his latest contract a good one for both him and the Canucks?
Well, to start, O'Connor is still young and relatively inexperienced at the age of 26 ad with just 214 NHL games under his belt at the time of this writing. The Chatham, N.J., native really broke onto the scene last season in Pittsburgh, posting 16 goals, 17 assists, and 33 points in 79 regular season games.
If that is O'Connor's ceiling as an NHL player, it's a pretty good one for a 6-foot-4 forward earmarked for a bottom-six role. The Canucks, who are barely clinging to a wildcard playoff spot in the Western Conference, know better than most the importance of role players who excel at their jobs.
Last season, Nils Hoglander and Conor Garland each chipped in 20 or more goals, while Ilya Mikheyev (as inefficient as he was) and Dakota Joshua both went for 30 points. This season, Hughes, Boeser, Garland, and Jake DeBrusk may be the only players to reach 20 goals, let alone 30 or 40.
Additionally, Hoglander and Teddy Blueger have a combined nine goals well over halfway through the season, and there is a good chance neither player is in Vancouver next season. That means more minutes for O'Connor.
And from O'Connor's perspective, he'll be 29 years old when this contract expires. If he continues to develop and nails down a meaningful role with the Canucks, he should have no issues landing one last lucrative contract that carries him into his mid-30s.