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After A Difficult Start, Canucks Forward Drew O'Connor Is Focused On Turning His Season Around
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- After A Difficult Start, Canucks Forward Drew O'Connor Is Focused On Turning His Season Around
Drew O'Connor has had a less-than-ideal start to the 2026-27 campaign. The Vancouver Canucks forward has just five points in 17 games, while his plus/minus of -11 ranks sixth-worst in the entire league. While O'Connor is not necessarily known for putting up significant offensive numbers, his lack of production is surprising, as he set a new career high with 17 goals last year.
It is not just a lack of production that is concerning when it comes to O'Connor. The 28-year-old has struggled to generate scoring chances in the offensive zone and has been on the ice for 21 total goals against compared to just five for. In an interview with The Hockey News , O'Connor spoke candidly about his tough start to the campaign.
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"Probably inconsistent," said O'Connor. "I feel like I haven't done enough of the things that make me a good player consistently enough. There's been a lot of games where the game's over and I feel like I didn't really have a lot of looks, a lot of chances, didn't win enough battles. So when I'm doing those things and defending well, then everything else comes."
Being part of a rebuilding team is never easy. It involves a lot of losing, which can wear on players. While O'Connor's start has been challenging, he focus remains on trying to turn his season around.
"I think to get back to being a consistent player, it's letting go of a mistake and not letting mistakes compile. You know, make one mistake and can't let that derail the next shift, that period, because then it snowballs into a game. So, I think for me, just trying to look past if something bad happens when I'm on the ice, get past it, get back to forechecking, get back to winning battles, doing all those little things, and then you kind of feel good about your overall game."
Something that also comes with a rebuild, especially for players like O'Connor, who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, is trade rumours. The American forward's name has already entered the rumour mill, as he is being included on early-season trade lists . While O'Connor is aware of the trade rumours, he is trying his best to ignore the noise and get back to becoming a difference-maker on the ice.
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"I think you try to block it out as much as you can. I think I can try to do a better job of blocking it out more than I have maybe. But it's a reality that it's always a possibility. I mean, I have to focus on where I am and being a good teammate, getting better as a player every day, and trying to help this team win games."
Ultimately, O'Connor still has plenty of time to turn his campaign around. He remains one of the league's fastest players and is currently averaging a career-high 15:52 of ice time per night. If O'Connor can reestablish his game and become more consistent, his offensive production should increase as the season progresses.
Oct 25, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Drew O'Connor (18) reacts after losing to the Minnesota Wild at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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