The New York Rangers played their last game before the Olympic break on Thursday night. New York took on the Carolina Hurricanes as they looked to gain some momentum before the league's pause. Some of the discussion around the game, though, centered on scratched forward Brennan Othmann.
Othmann has not received a ton of opportunities with the Rangers this season. The 23-year-old former first-round pick has skated in just 16 games to this point. In those games, he has averaged less than 10 minutes per game. Some speculated New York was angling to demote Othmann back to the AHL during the break. Head coach Mike Sullivan shut that down with a rather straightforward message.
“I think there are elements of his game that have to continue to improve in order for him to establish himself as an NHL player,” the Rangers head coach said, via New York Post reporter Mollie Walker.
Othmann has been mentioned as a trade candidate this season. As mentioned, he has not seen the ice a ton in New York. And that trend is nothing new. He played 25 games total before this season across two stints in the NHL. Including this season, Othmann has one goal and three points in his career while averaging around 10 minutes a game.
This is the latest development in a saga that seems to point toward a separation between team and player. What that separation looks like remains to be seen. New York returns to the ice on February 26th against the Philadelphia Flyers.
