According to a report from Daily Faceoff, Penguins forward Drew O’Connor is dealing with a collapsed lung he suffered during the team’s recent road trip, primarily on the West Coast.
The team has simply identified the ailment as an “upper-body injury.”
When asked to confirm the report following his team’s 2-1 overtime home loss to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan declined to comment.
O’Connor’s agent, Matt Keator, also declined to comment when contacted by the Tribune-Review on Thursday afternoon, referring a query about his client to the team.
According to Daily Faceoff, O’Connor was injured during a road contest against the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 15.
After missing a road contest against the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 17 — the Penguins’ final game of a six-game road trip — O’Connor did not fly home due to the injury and had to be driven back to Pittsburgh from Las Vegas over two days, according to the report.
O’Connor is currently designated to long-term injured reserve. Sullivan has previously suggested O’Connor will be sidelined on a week-to-week basis.
A second-year professional who is still a rookie, O’Connor has appeared in 22 NHL games this season and scored five points (two goals, three assists).
