How top prospect’s hot streak could play role in Rangers trade-deadline approach
Watching Brennan Othmann score 20 seconds into the Hartford Wolf Pack’s latest game against the Belleville Senators on Wednesday certainly had to make New York Rangers brass happy. The 2021 first-round pick has found his game offensively after a two-month injury layoff and now is riding a four-game goal streak.
It’s great to see him healthy again, attacking the game, playing physically and regaining his scoring touch. With his game picking up again, there are a multitude of options for what happens next for the 22-year-old.
In fact, it can be argued that if he plays consistently well over the coming weeks, it could impact what the Rangers do ahead of the NHL trade deadline March 7.
Othmann could convince the Rangers he’s ready to play in the NHL and help them in their playoff push. In that scenario, the Rangers could trade away Reilly Smith, for example, to make room for Othmann somewhere in the top nine. The upside of this is that the Rangers likely could land a third-round pick or depth defenseman for Smith and Othmann would gain valuable NHL experience.
Or thinking bigger, perhaps Othmann makes himself attractive to other teams and is a centerpiece or complementary one to acquire, say, someone like J.T. Miller.
Of course, there’s the plausible action of letting Othmann play out his second season in the American Hockey League and come to training camp next fall in good position to contend for a top-nine role. This might be especially appealing since he missed so much time after sustaining an upper-body injury Oct. 19.
The thing is, the options increase when Othmann is playing as he has recently. After recording two points (one goal, one assist) in his first nine games after returning to the Hartford lineup Dec. 27, Othmann has five (four goals, one assist) in the past six games. Overall, Othmann has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 18 games after he finished last season second on the Wolf Pack as a rookie pro with 21 goals.
Related: Hartford Wolf Pack weekly — Brennen Othmann regains scoring touch, Lucas Edmonds’ fresh start
Rangers plans for Brennan Othmann ahead of NHL trade deadline
Photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
In a perfect salary-cap world, NHL teams like the Rangers prefer to add one or two players on rookie contracts each season. That especially helps when you have stars like Igor Shesterkin, Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox gobbling up a chunk of the salary cap with their high-price deals.
So, the Rangers had Victor Mancini and Brett Berard on the roster earlier this season, and last season added Will Cuylle and Matt Rempe as rookies.
Ideally, the Rangers could elevate Othmann and Gabe Perreault into their top nine next season, if each is ready for the jump. That’s also assuming Perreault signs an entry-level contract after finishing his sophomore season at Boston College.
Adding a pair of talented first-round picks to their forward mix next season must be appealing for the Rangers. Though not a slam dunk for success, it’s how top teams move forward and remain so good year-in and year-out in the NHL.
But don’t discount the other options Chris Drury and Co. will consider ahead of the trade deadline when it comes to Othmann. He’s the one to focus on here because he’d appear to be the more likely trade candidate, figuring Perreault is pretty much an untouchable at this point. Plus if others are traded, Othmann is in the minors a phone call away from being recalled. Perreault is not available for that option yet.
For now, Othmann will focus on keeping his game going and helping the struggling Wolf Pack, who’ve lost four in a row and seven of nine after the 6-5 overtime loss to Belleville.
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