Elliotte Friedman reports Several NHL Teams Looking at Penguins Forward Drew O'Connor

After a dreadful start to the 2024/25 campaign, many believed that the Pittsburgh Penguins could host a fire sale this season, which could potentially result in some surprise trades.

The team moved Lars Eller, but then quickly acquired Filip Tomasino from Nashville, proving that they believe a shakeup could help turn their season around, but if the team can't get back into it by the trade deadline, moves could be coming.

Now, we know of one player that's drawing plenty of trade interest, as Elliotte Friedman has revealed that several teams are interested in forward Drew O'Connor as a potential middle-six option on the trade market, although he didn't go into detail as to who those teams were as of yet.

The 26-year old O'Connor only found himself in a full-time role at the NHL level a season ago, and he took the opportunity with both hands, putting up 16 goals and 33 points in 79 games played alongside Sidney Crosby, with 3 goals and 9 points through 28 games in 2024/25.

O'Connor is in the second year of a two-year deal with a $925k AAV in Pittsburgh, and while many believe he could be a part of the future, this is also a chance for Kyle Dubas to use a young, cheap player to get a solid asset in return.

With the team just 28 games into the season, there's plenty more time for them to find clarity in their roster building going forward, but if they don't believe O'Connor will be a key piece moving forward, it would make sense to trade him for an asset this season.