Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers already have enough on their plate in the NHL. In addition to their historic goal drought on home ice, the Blueshirts might have to deal with a constantly ringing phone as teams inquire about an overlooked youngster in the Big Apple.
The Rangers may be in need for some new faces to change the tide after a disheartening start to the 2025-26 NHL season. On that note, many fingers in New York City point at Brennan Othmann. However, the Broadway Blueshirts may have another plan.
Othmann has been sent down to the AHL, reporting to the Hartford Wolf Pack to start the 2025-26 campaign. The decision by Sullivan and the front office led to much speculation. According to reports, several organizations around the NHL are now curious about the former first-round pick in the 2021 entry Draft.
“Othmann was sent down to AHL Hartford after failing to make the NHL team, and, since that occurred, there’s been conversations with other clubs about his future. The Rangers have a lot on the wings and it simply may be that he needs a fresh start elsewhere,” insider Elliotte Friedman reported on Sportsnet. “We will see where things go, but there’s definitely discussion about the next steps of his career.”
Mike Sullivan of the New York Rangers handles bench duties during the game in preseason action.
Background
Selected with the 16th overall pick in 2021, Othmann made his NHL debut with the Rangers during the 2023-24 campaign. Statiscally speaking, it makes sense Othmann is Ontarian, as 45.6% of Canadian players in the NHL are from The Heartland Province, according to data from QuantHockey.
see also
NHL News: Mike Sullivan’s Rangers, J.T. Miller could lose star forward who’s unlikely to re-sign this season
Since skating his rookie lap in the NHL on January 4, 2024, Othmann has played 25 games in the league, recording two assists. While nothing to pop champagne bottles for, fans in New York might be encouraged by his +7 plus/minus. That number indicates the Rangers score more than they are scored on when Othmann is on the ice.
Head-scratching numbers
With the Blueshirts failing to score a goal in each of their first three home games, calling up Othmann could be worth a shot. However, Sullivan and company know the scoring hex in the Big Apple is more of a mental block than anything. Still, it casts a dark cloud of doubt over the team’s scoring capacity.
During the Rangers’ centenary season, the last thing fans want is to make history of the worst kind. So far, the Blueshirts have done just that, becoming the first team in NHL history to be shut out in their opening three home games of a season.
Through five games, the Rangers are averaging just two goals per outing. All signs indicate that, at some point, the goals should start coming in bunches—but if they don’t, this could be trending toward the lowest-scoring season of the 21st century for New York.
