Drew O'Connor has 12 goals and 20 points in 51 games for the Vancouver Canucks this season.
Drew O'Connor has been a bright spot for the Vancouver Canucks this season. The 27-year-old ranks tied for second on the current roster with 12 goals and is just five away from setting a new career high. O'Connor has also shown his durability this year as he is one of four players to skate in all 51 games this season.
After a slow start to the campaign, O'Connor has been picking up steam. As of writing, he is on a three-game point streak and has been bumped up to the top six. When asked about his recent play, O'Connor spoke about how sticking to the process has been paying off as of late.
"Just trying to create chances for myself," said O'Connor. "Get opportunities to shoot the puck and put myself in those positions, and do that enough times, it'll go in when you keep getting those chances. So for me, when I go into a game, it's more about thinking about creating chances, getting shots, and hopefully the goals will kind of follow. But I've said this before, I think it kind of comes from playing the right way and for tracking hard and then creating turnovers, and that's when those chances start to come."
Injuries have been a storyline that has followed the Canucks all season. As a result, O'Connor has seen at least 10 minutes of ice time on 17 different lines through 51 games. While O'Connor mentioned that constantly changing lines can be a challenge, it is something players need to get used to when teams have a large number of injuries.
"I wouldn't say it's difficult. I think it's just been a unique circumstance. This year, we've had a lot of different guys in and out of the lineup, so by nature, you end up playing with different guys, but it doesn't really matter who you're playing with. Generally, it's nice when you can kind of play with the same guys for a long stretch and develop chemistry, but circumstances are different throughout the season, and it's not always possible."
While Vancouver still has some players on IR, the team did get back Teddy Blueger and Filip Chytil over the past two games. Both players were injured on October 19 and have been out of the lineup for the past three months. As O'Connor explained, the team is excited to have both of them back after such a long layoff.
"Gives us a big boost, but just good for them that they can finally get back in the lineup. I know it's not easy being hurt and having to watch games and not being able to do anything about it. So I know they're super pumped to be back."
With the Canucks currently in a rebuild, trade talk has dominated the market. There is a new report almost every day linking players to different teams around the league. While losing friends and teammates is never fun, O'Connor remains focused on doing what he can to help the team both on and off the ice.
Jan 19, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Drew O'Connor (18) skates in warm up prior to a game against the New York Islanders at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images"I mean, it's part of sports. It's the inevitability of losing, unfortunately, is when you lose, you lose teammates, because you're kind of in that mode. So that's kind of one of the consequences of it. You lose friends and teammates that you get close to. So it's, it's never easy when guys get traded, but for us, it's about coming in and being pros and handling our business as best we can. And obviously, things will probably look different by the end of this season than they do now. So we're just kind of focused on who's still in this room and just playing hard every night."
Ultimately, O'Connor has become a key part of Vancouver's team this year. He adds speed to the lineup and can contribute both at even strength and on the penalty kill. If O'Connor can keep producing, he could see an expanded role over the final few months of the season.
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