The New York Rangers selected Brennan Othmann with the 16th pick during the first round of the 2021 National Hockey League draft, and they have been patient with the player who briefly held the position of top prospect in the organization. Othmann is a 6-foot winger that weighs 181 pounds, and plays with a lot of spunk and heart. He made a name for himself in the OHL by scoring a lot of goals, and thus far has shown he's too good to be in the American Hockey League. He's only 22 years old, but he could already be on borrowed time with the Broadway Blueshirts.
Expectations
Othmann skated in just 3 NHL games during the 2023-24 season, and he didn't get enough ice time for fans to try and project what he could be capable of in 2024-25. He spent the majority of the season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, and in 67 games he scored 21 goals and added 28 assists for 49 points in the regular season. He also skated in 10 playoff games and added a goal and four assists for five points. The expectation for Othmann was to participate in training camp and make a push for a roster spot and hopefully get a chance to produce in a bottom-six role.
Performance
Othmann did not make the Rangers' opening night roster, and to make matters worse he was injured in the third game of the Wolf Pack's season, and he was limited to 27 games. In those AHL games he posted a line of 12-8-20, and he joined the Rangers for 22 games. He averaged a meager 9:52 per game, and tallied just two assists. There were a couple of times he got close to scoring, but he was rarely put in a position to succeed by Peter Laviolette. In a small sample he did have some promising underlying numbers, and the hope is that can translate to more top line numbers going forward.
Per Evolving-Hockey, Othmann posted a 70.06 goals for percentage, a 53.51 Corsi for percentage, and a 51.69 expected goals for percentage. The Rangers as a team scored 3.41 goals for per 60 minutes, and conceded just 1.46 against. These numbers came during just 214 minutes at 5v5, and while they are promising, at some point Othmann will need to generate some actual results. He's had some bad injury luck which limited the amount of time he could suit up for the Rangers, but with the team looking to improve and a crowded pool, his big opportunity could come elsewhere.
Where They Go From Here
The Rangers have a new head coach in Mike Sullivan, and this summer will be a time in which he evaluates the roster with President and General Manager Chris Drury. Othmann has the tools to be an effective player under Sullivan, but it remains to be seen if he will have a spot in the lineup. Someone like Gabe Perreault is more likely to get a priority to prove himself, and that would cut into Othmann's potential ice time.
As things stand now, the top-six for next season will include some combination of J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, Artemi Panarin, and Alexis Lafrenière. I'd expect Perreault to be the sixth name there, but it could also include someone like Will Cuylle, Chris Kreider, or an external addition. Othmann isn't a player you want on the fourth line, so depending on how that top-six shakes out, he could still be an odd-man out for the third line.
So because there are already many players on Othmann's level who will be competing for a main roster spot, and that's not including players the Rangers could look to acquire via trade or free agency, you begin to see the situation he's in. Additionally, with the Rangers attempting to become a Stanley Cup contender once again, they are bound to seek out some additional talent.
Othmann still has some prospect shine on him, and has looked fine in the AHL and has a decent track record from his time in the OHL, but that isn't going to last much longer. You can sell team's on potential for so long, and during the summer you can include him in a deal. If there's not a spot for him come October, other teams will take noticed of that, and will revalue you him accordingly.
For that reason, it wouldn't be shocking if Othmann were a main piece involved in a major trade this offseason. There are no guarantees, but he's at a point in his young career where the Rangers need to evaluate if he can provide more value by being on the roster, of by being an asset via trade.