The New York Rangers have recalled Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League while sending Brett Berard and Jaroslav Chmelar back down.
This comes as the Rangers have only scored one goal over their last two games.
Othmann has played in just one game for the Rangers this season despite being called up twice.
The 22-year-old forward started the season off slowly in Hartford, and his name was even the subject of some trade rumors.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Oct. 16 that the Rangers are open to the idea of trading Othmann.
However, Othmann’s game has come alive as of late, scoring three goals in his past four AHL games.
When Mike Sullivan sent Othmann back down after a three-game road trip in which he played in only one game, he emphasized the need for more consistency from Othmann.
“We talked to Otter just about attention to detail, a little bit of predictability and reliability with his respect to his game away from the puck and that being an important element of him earning his way on the roster as a regular,” Sullivan said.
“The other aspect of it is, we don't want any one player, especially young players sitting on the sidelines. He was in the West Coast trip with us. He played one of the games. We would rather see him get into game action, so he has an opportunity to learn through those experiences. He's a young player. He's got a lot of his career in front of him.
Meanwhile, Perreault has played in three games for the Rangers this season.
Despite spending some time in a top-six role, Sullivan moved Perreault down the lineup oftentimes toward the latter half of these games, showing an overall lack of trust in him.
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“We've seen some really good things he's done. Obviously, he's got real good offensive instincts, sees the play really well,” Sullivan said of Perreault. “He thinks the game on a high level. I think where his opportunity for growth and improvement is really just strength on the puck and a little bit of quickness. And I think they go hand in hand.
“As a young player, it's just physical maturity. The speed of the game and the size and the strength of the players at this level is second to none. For most young players, that's one of the challenges in making the jump to being an impact player at this level.”
The 20-year-old forward has had a productive season with the Wolf Pack, recording 10 goals, seven assists, and 17 points in 20 games.
Both Othmann and Perreault could play on Thursday night when the Rangers face off against the St. Louis Blues.