The Latest York Rangers played their last game before the Olympic break on Thursday night. Latest York took on the Carolina Hurricanes as they looked to achieve some momentum before the league’s pause. A number of the discussion across the game, though, centered on scratched forward Brennan Othmann.
Othmann has not received a ton of opportunities with the Rangers this season. The 23-year-old former first-round pick has skated in only 16 games up to now. In those games, he has averaged lower than 10 minutes per game. Some speculated Latest York was angling to demote Othmann back to the AHL through the break. Head coach Mike Sullivan shut that down with a reasonably straightforward message.
“I feel there are elements of his game that need to proceed to enhance to ensure that him to determine himself as an NHL player,” the Rangers head coach said, via Latest York Post reporter Mollie Walker.
Othmann has been mentioned as a trade candidate this season. As mentioned, he has not seen the ice a ton in Latest York. And that trend is nothing recent. He played 25 games total before this season across two stints within the NHL. Including this season, Othmann has one goal and three points in his profession while averaging around 10 minutes a game.
That is the most recent development in a saga that seems to point toward a separation between team and player. What that separation looks like stays to be seen. Latest York returns to the ice on February twenty sixth against the Philadelphia Flyers.