Don't Be Fooled By The Benching Of Brennan Othmann

Brennan Othmann has had some highs and lows throughout his stint with the New York Rangers this season.

The Rangers recalled Brennan Othmann at the end of February from the Hartford Wolf Pack, giving him a chance to prove himself at the highest level. 

So far, Othmann has played 11 games and is yet to record a point. However, that doesn't necessarily mean he hasn’t performed well. 

Over these 11 games, you can see Othmann becoming more and more comfortable in the NHL setting. 

He’s been reliable from a defensive standpoint while providing a steady presence offensively, not making any glaring mistakes. 

Despite some of the strides in his game, Peter Laviolette will scratch the 23-year-old out of the lineup on Tuesday night against the Calgary Flames in favor of Juuso Parssinen. 

This decision was not made out of spite for Othmann though, 

“There's been some good things,” Laviolette said of Othmann’s game. “There's been some things that we look for more from him, and we show him and work with him, both on the offensive side of the puck and the defensive side of the puck. I had an opportunity to get a young player back in there in Parssinen, and it's a chance for Othmann just to reset and reboot and wait for his next opportunity.”

A lot of Othmann’s eventual progression will come with confidence and that will just take more time in the NHL. 

Jonny Brodzinski has been around Othmann from their days together in the American Hockey League and now with the Rangers. He strongly feels that once Othmann gets more adjusted to the NHL, he’ll thrive in New York. 

“For him a big part of it is the mental game,” Brodzinski said. “Coming into this league, it’s pretty tough for some people, just playing at a much higher level. The American League I think is the second best league in the entire world. The jump from the American League is so huge. It’s even bigger than coming from college to the American League. I

“It's definitely a little transition period he has to go through. It can be rocky at some points. I think the biggest part is the mental part of the game, knowing you are good enough to be here and the ability to then produce at this level. It’s all confidence.”

The young forward is not discouraged by his benching as he plans to use it as a learning lesson moving forward.