2022 NHL Draft
Sullivan Talks Pettersson, O’Connor Trade; ‘Untapped’ Levels
CRANBERRY — It has been a disappointing season for Drew O’Connor, and it took a sharp left turn late Friday night when the Pittsburgh Penguins traded him and defenseman Marcus Pettersson to the Vancouver Canucks for a substantial pull that included the New York Rangers top-13 protected first-round pick.
Saturday morning in the locker room, coach Mike Sullivan had praise for both, and some evaluation for O’Connor.
“First and foremost, they’re great people. They’ve been real good teammates here and a big part of the Penguins for quite some time, certainly in my tenure here,” said Sullivan. “They’re both good players. I think Marcus is just a really good, solid defenseman and a terrific teammate. You know, (O’Connor), I think there’s another level to his game that that is yet to be tapped into, and there’s an opportunity for Vancouver to try to get that out of him.”
Former Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet coaches Vancouver, while the general manager is former Penguins AGM Patrik Allvin, and the president of hockey operations is former Penguins GM Jim Rutherford.