Since being called up by the New York Rangers from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League to open up the Blueshirts’ four-game road trip, things haven’t gone exactly to plan for Brennan Othmann.
Othmann was given another chance to prove himself with the Rangers after not making the opening-night roster out of training camp.
It seemed as if Othmann’s call-up presented an opportunity for him to get NHL-game action and maybe even log in valuable minutes.
On Sunday night in a game against the Calgary Flames, Othmann was put on a line with Noah Laba and Will Cuylle, while also serving a role on the second power-play unit.
Things were looking up for Othmann until adversity struck once again.
Mike Sullivan decided to scratch Othmann out of the lineup on Tuesday night against the Vancouver Canucks, and he’ll likely be scratched on Thursday night when the Rangers face off against the Edmonton Oilers.
“This is the conversation that him and I have had throughout the course of training camp, before training camp started,” Sullivan said of his conversations with Othmann. “I sat with him after the Lehigh Valley, the rookie games, and trying to define for him what the expectation is, and how we could potentially earn a roster spot. And I think the most important element of it is just attention to detail, reliability, knowing your job, doing your job, play away from the puck.
“That was where his focus, I think, needed to be. We're looking for that element as an important aspect of him earning a roster spot. In the game the other night, there were some good things that he did. There were also some moments where attention to detail could have helped us keep the puck out of the net and things of that nature. We'll continue to work with Otter with respect to those details and what those mean.”
What does this all mean for Othmann?
The past couple of seasons have been difficult for Othmann, who’s failed to carve out a permanent role for the Rangers.
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Recently, Othmann’s name has been the subject of trade rumors. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Oct. 16 that the Rangers are open to the idea of trading the 22-year-old forward, and these recent events will only ignite more speculation.
By the looks of how this trip has transpired thus far for Othmann, in all likelihood, he’ll be sent back down to the AHL once Vincent Trocheck returns from injury.
Sullivan’s reluctance to play the 2021 first-round pick shows a lack of trust, which is not a positive sign for where he stands with the Rangers.