Report: Oilers, Sabres among front-runners to sign NCAA goalie Matt O'Connor
As college players begin to land professional hockey jobs, one goaltender is in very high demand.
Matt O'Connor, currently playing for third-ranked Boston University in the NCAA Men's Hockey Championship, is in the process of fielding offers from NHL clubs, and is believed to have narrowed his options to a handful of teams.
Bob McKenzie reported the following on TSN 1260 in Edmonton on Friday:
(O'Connor is) a 6-foot-5 goalie, by the way, from Toronto and has played three years at BU and put up some real good numbers. And he's the top college free agent this year ... (He's) the guy right from the get-go who has been sort of No. 1 - in admittedly a rather thin year for U.S. college free agents - has been Matt O'Connor, the big goalie.
As I understand it, the teams that it's narrowed down to and at this point are the front-runners would include the Edmonton Oilers, the Ottawa Senators, the Buffalo Sabres and surprisingly the New York Rangers.
It was previously reported that some clubs were willing to promise immediate playing time, which would give the rebuilding Sabres and Oilers - both in need of quality goaltending - a possible leg up.
In 31 games with BU this season, O'Connor posted a record of 22-3-4 with a 2.12 GAA and .928 save percentage.
- With h/t to Nichols On Hockey