Rangers assign Brennan Othmann to AHL; is Kaapo Kakko ready to return?
On Tuesday, the New York Rangers assigned Brennan Othmann to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
Considering the Rangers only have 11 healthy forwards with Tyler Pitlick week to week, it would appear Kaapo Kakko is ready to come off LTIR. However, according to NHL.com reporter Dan Rosen, another player will be recalled later today.
Rangers assign Brennan Othmann to AHL
Othmann, 21, played three games for the Rangers after being called up. He was scoreless and had six shots on goal, five hits, and one block averaging 9:05 minutes per game.
After an impressive debut versus the Chicago Blackhawks, his playing time was limited. Thanks to the Rangers chasing their opponents in their last two games (both losses), the highly-touted prospect’s ice time dwindled.
- 1/4 vs CHI – 12:26
- 1/6 vs MTL – 7:16
- 1/8 vs VAN – 7:33
“There were guys I thought were really going, so I tried to double shift them,” coach Peter Laviolette said Monday night. “He still got some shifts through the course of the game. It wasn’t anything he did, or anything I said to him.”
Seeing a skilled offensive player wallow on the fourth line made little to no sense. So this move will see him return to the Wolf Pack, where he will once again get top-line and power-play minutes to develop.
Othmann has 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in 28 games as a rookie in the AHL.
One option for the Rangers is to recall forward Adam Edstrom, but he was labeled week to week on January 4th. If he’s unable to go, Jake Leschyshyn or Anton Blidh could get a look, as both have NHL experience. Another possible option would be to reward Adam Sykora with a game. The youngster recently captained Slovakia at the WJC.
There is also the possibility of signing 35-year-old veteran Artem Anisimov to a two-way contract. The Wolf Pack signed him to an AHL PTO last week, and he scored in his debut.
More About:New York Rangers Features New York Rangers News