Last night, the New York Rangers took a 5–3 loss to the New York Islanders in the fourth preseason matchup of the year. This puts the Rangers at a record of 1-3 with just two games remaining until the regular season gets underway on October 12th.
The 2023-24 preseason has been less than ideal thus far, with only one win being earned. However, despite the Blueshirts’ poor record, a handful of players have stood out. Brennan Othmann is one of the Rangers’ top prospects, and he’s been putting on a show this preseason.
Othmann nets second goal in two games
Othmann opened the scoring for the Rangers last night, just over five minutes into the third period. The Blueshirts soon followed with two more scores to cut their 4–0 deficit down to one. Although the Blueshirts were not able to complete the comeback, it was nice to see Othmann have the ability to light some sort of spark.
Othmann’s goal was his second of the preseason in just two games played. On a score assisted by Vincent Trocheck, the Rangers’ prospect has demonstrated his ability to be a key offensive producer for the Blueshirts.
The Rangers have struggled to maintain consistent scoring but Othmann may be able to help with that issue. Key players such as Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad tend to have constant goal-scoring droughts that hurt the Rangers as a whole.
Having scored 67 goals in 56 games last year in the OHL, Othmann’s abilities seem to be translating over to the NHL. All signs are pointing toward Othmann being an offensive giant in the future.
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Is Othmann increasing his chances of making the Rangers this season?
Being a goal-per-game player so far in preseason has undoubtedly caught the Rangers’ attention. Othmann will likely play in at least one of the final two preseason matchups of the year, giving him another opportunity to impress the organization. It’s unclear how likely the Blueshirts are to call Othmann up to the NHL, but his performances so far have helped his chances.
New York has little room on their roster for prospects to make an appearance, but it’s not impossible. A player such as Othmann would be wasted on the fourth line, so the Blueshirts would have to find a top-nine role for him. There are also other prospects such as Will Cuylle who have impressed the Rangers so far, thus increasing the level of competition in trying to make their way to the big leagues.
There’s also the debate of whether Othmann would benefit from a start in the AHL. He’s succeeded in every challenge thrown at him so far, but it is still his first season going pro.
To expedite Othmann’s development could possibly harm his growth if he isn’t fully ready for the NHL. It may be best for the Rangers to start Othmann off slow and have him work his way up. While an opening night start may not be best for Othmann, it wouldn’t hurt to let him play in Hartford and utilize him in case there are any NHL injuries.