The Pittsburgh Penguins have made a roster swap, recalling Drew O’Connor from the AHL and sending Drake Caggiula down. The latter cleared waivers earlier this month and can be assigned without risk.
O’Connor, 24, is off to a nice start with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, scoring six points in his first eight games. That is actually worse than his career pace in the AHL, as the big winger has scored nearly a point per game since signing with the Penguins in 2020. Undrafted, O’Connor became a star at Dartmouth College and has been a nice depth piece for the organization over the last couple of seasons.
In 2021-22, he played 22 games for Pittsburgh scoring three goals and five points. In the midst of a four-game losing streak, the club needed to change something up, and adding the hard-working O’Connor could give the lineup a little jolt.
Caggiula, meanwhile, has been rather invisible for the Penguins since joining the organization this summer. In four games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he registered one assist, and his three matches with Pittsburgh have come and gone without any scoresheet interaction. Caggiula has no points, no penalty minutes, and just two shots on goal in his limited minutes.
The Penguins return home from a disappointing road trip to face the Boston Bruins tomorrow night.
I like what I’ve seen from O’Connor. He’s a bottom six forward, don’t get me wrong, but he reminds me of Chris Kreider. Similar build, similar stride, similar tenacity.
Also…impossible for him to not be an upgrade to Archibald, McGinn or Kapanen.
PS- Anyone still singing the “McGinn is just as good as Tanev” song? Got 25% of the player at 80% of the price.