Sidney Crosby has high praise for young forward Drew O'Connor

Drew O'Connor has been given more and more chances by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and it appears he's impressed Sidney Crosby in a huge way.

For much of the 2023-24 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have struggled in a big way, resulting in the decision to move star forward Jake Guentzel at the trade deadline, leaving a spot open on the top line with captain Sidney Crosby.

In recent times, the team have played 25-year old Drew O'Connor alongside the veteran star, and he's drawn rave reviews from his captain.






While O'Connor got off to a slow start in his Penguins career, notching just 16 points in his first 68 games, he's improved mightily this season, tallying 28 points in 70 games, with goals in three straight games.




With the Penguins looking to build one final winner around Crosby, Malkin and Letang, they'll be looking to make some big moves this summer, but if they can find contributors out of in house options like O'Connor, then the future looks much brighter for Pittsburgh. It's unclear if the former undrafted winger is the answer on the top line, but right now something seems to be clicking, and if it keeps up for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign, there's no doubting that the Penguins could have a genuine piece on their hands.