The New York Rangers remain undefeated in the preseason thus far after a dominant 5-2 victory over the Boston Bruins Thursday night. Brennan Othmann was a key player in making this win happen, tallying one goal and one assist for two points.
Othmann has been the Blueshirts’ top-ranked prospect for years. He’s got an elite offensive skillset and has been on the verge of making it to the NHL over the last two seasons. The one thing holding him back has been his defensive abilities, but that is something that Othmann appears to have been working on.
Brennan Othmann has been working on his defensive game
Othmann had a few standout defensive plays during Thursday’s exhibition match against Boston. The best came late in the first period, as Othmann made a nice takeaway against Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Othmann rushed to pressure Zadorov against the boards, who quickly turned the puck over. Othmann was then able to convert this to a breakaway, which led to his first goal of the preseason:
Per Vince Mercogliano of Lohud, improving his defensive skillset is something that Othmann has been working on recently. Othmann admitted that defense is something he has been criticized about a lot, and went on to say:
“When I was in Hartford last year, my main goal was to really focus on that. I really did think it got better. … That just kind of goes to show that I’m really putting forth the effort to work on my defense, my D zone, and being able to flex out at an experienced defenseman like Zadorov there is just confidence in myself that I’m able to do that.”
Will this new skillset be enough to help Othmann make the Rangers?
Othmann has appeared ready for the NHL for a while now, but he hasn’t been given a chance for a full-time role on the Rangers’ roster. Becoming increasingly better at defense will make it even harder for the Blueshirts to keep him down in Hartford any longer.
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The reason Othmann hasn’t been called up yet doesn’t have to do with his skills, however, it has to do with the position he plays. The Rangers are Stanley Cup contenders, having elite players throughout the entire offensive corps. If Othmann were to receive a call-up, he would need to beat out some of New York’s top stars. The Rangers could use Othmann on the fourth line, but it seems like they are conserving their best prospect for a more fulfilling role.
