Rangers Recall Brennan Othmann From Hartford
It’s been quite the carousel of call-ups for the Rangers this season as the team has just announced that Brennan Othmann has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack.
There’s no question that Othmann is a player a large portion of the fanbase is quite excited about, however this is very likely a precautionary measure seeing as both Artemiy Panarin and Jimmy Vesey were absent from yesterday’s practice with lower-body injuries.
In the event that one or both of them are unable to go tonight, it makes sense to use that as an opportunity for Othmann to continue his development with another look at the NHL level. Othmann appeared in three games with the Rangers earlier in the season but didn’t have much to show for in a mostly bottom-six role. Lately, the Wolf Pack have been playing Othmann on the right wing side to get him better acclimated with a role he may be able to fill for the Rangers down the road.
In 44 games with Hartford this season, Othmann has registered a total of 14 goals and 22 assists. He will be coming up fresh off a two-point game (1 goal, 1 assist) last night where he helped the Pack beat the Bridgeport Islanders 2-1.
We’ll know more about the statuses of Vesey and Panarin after today’s morning skate but if there’s any doubt, the Rangers should feel comfortable giving one or two of them the night off. It’ll be interesting to see how Laviolette shakes up the lines depending on who is and isn’t available. While many fans would like to see Othmann join Kreider and Zibanejad on the top line, don’t be surprised if Kakko ends up there coming off one of his best games of the season.