As the New York Rangers prepare to face the Toronto Maple Leafs and hopefully break their goalless streak, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman dropped a little bit of a bombshell this morning, reporting that the Rangers may be discussing trades for Brennan Othmann with other teams. Othmann failed to make New York’s roster out of training camp and may need a change of scenery.
Othmann, a first-round pick in 2021, 16th overall, has yet to fully crack the team’s lineup. He was part of the Blueshirts’ rookie and development camp for the fifth time this year, failing to impress enough to garner a roster spot. He has been passed on the team’s prospect list by Gabe Perreault, Malcolm Spence, and probably Brett Berard, and may clearly be in need of a change of scenery. How much value he has left remains to be seen.
One question to be answered, solely for future organizational development, is if this is player failure, team failure or both. The answer to that question, which, in my opinion, is a combination of both but also endemic to the organization’s inability to maximize player talent, should be part of the overall evaluation of GM Chris Drury.
The Blueshirts could pursue depth on the blue line even with Scott Morrow recently promoted. New York could also attempt to acquire a forward who also may have fallen a bit out of favor in their organization, like Columbus’s Yegor Chinakhov (though that cost to acquire would be higher than just Othmann). The other option is obtaining a pick in return. Last, if nothing materializes. Othmann may start to put it together in Hartford and become a viable option for the parent club.
New York starts their two-game road trip tonight in Toronto. The Rangers failed to score in back-to-back contests at home, extending their scoreless streak at MSG to begin the season to an NHL record three consecutive contests. In each of the last two games, the Blueshirts dominated action, yet had nothing but a goose egg and loss to show in each. Tuesday, New York out-attempted Edmonton 76-47 with 30 shots landing on net and were unable to break through.
The Rangers called up Scott Morrow on Wednesday, with Will Borgen banged up. Borgen skated this morning in a regular jersey, so Morrow looks like he will be a healthy scratch. Morrow should likely be in the lineup for Urho Vaakanainen, but the team seems reluctant to make that move. Connor Mackey, called up last week with Carson Soucy sidelined, will join Morrow in the press box with Matthew Robertson, the likely sixth defenseman. As a result, two extra d-men are eating up needed cap room. Soucy skated this am in a non-contact jersey, so he is inching closer to returning.
As seen from the tweet above, the rotating third-line winger wheel has spun back to Jusso Parssinen. Jonny Brodzinski may be the healthy scratch tonight. Yet, there is no room for Othmann or Gabe Perreault at the inn.
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