Thoughts on the Brennan Othmann trade rumors - Blue Seat Blogs

"While the Rangers continue to struggle with scoring goals, Elliotte Friedman speculated on a Brennan Othmann trade rumor, that he was drawing significant interest early in the season. It's not really a surprise to see Othmann's name pop up in rumors, but to see it happen in October is a little sooner than many expected. Chris Drury's first pick as Rangers GM and the 16th overall pick in 2021, Othmann failed to break camp with the Rangers and now faces questions about his future in New York."

"In early preseason games-mostly against other AHL competition-Othmann didn't necessarily look lost, but he just wasn't effective at all. His one goal, on an absolute snipe, was on the powerplay. He struggled at even strength and was routinely smothered once he had the puck. He simply didn't have enough time or space to get his shot off, and he wasn't able to generate any of that time or space."

"In 25 NHL games he has zero goals and just two assists, while in the AHL he scores at a 0.75 points per game pace, though a large chunk comes on the powerplay. It's easy to read that as a problem, being a powerplay merchant, but that's not entirely accurate. He produces at 5v5 in the AHL, he is also exceptional at that level on the powerplay."

Brennan Othmann faced trade interest early in the season after a poor preseason and being cut from training camp. He struggled in preseason games against AHL competition, showing little effectiveness at even strength and relying on a power-play goal for highlight scoring. At the NHL level he has zero goals and two assists in 25 games, prompting concerns about adjusting to faster pace and reduced time and space. In the AHL he averages 0.75 points per game, produces at 5v5, and excels on the power play. Limited NHL minutes show some positive puck-possession indicators, but sample size remains small. The core question is whether his shot and scoring can translate when NHL defenders further restrict time and space without additional complementary skills.

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