The Pittsburgh Penguins avoided arbitration with restricted free-agent forward Drew O'Connor on a two-year deal with an average annual value of $925,000, the team announced Wednesday.
O'Connor's arbitration hearing was set for Aug. 4. He can become an unrestricted free agent once his new contract expires.
The 25-year-old skated in a career-high 46 games this past season, racking up five goals and 11 points while averaging just under 10 minutes of ice time.
O'Connor also registered eight tallies and 22 points in 20 showings with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2022-23.
The Penguins signed O'Connor as an undrafted free agent in March 2020. He has amassed 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 78 career NHL games, all with Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh is now approximately $3.2 million over the cap with a roster of 24 players, per CapFriendly. Teams can have a maximum of 23 players on the active roster during the season.
