Rangers ‘shutting down’ all Brennan Othmann, Gabe Perreault trade talk: report
The New York Rangers are actively trying to upgrade their roster before the March 8 trade deadline. But Emily Kaplan of ABC reported Saturday that the Rangers are “shutting down” any trade conversations involving top forward prospects Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault.
Speaking during the first intermission of the Rangers matinee against the Philadelphia Flyers, Kaplan said that she’d heard the Rangers are willing to discuss trading their first-round pick in the 2024 draft for the right player. But they absolutely will not discuss trading Othmann nor Perrault.
Related: Rangers rumors increasing 2 weeks before trade deadline
Rangers not likely to trade Brennan Othmann, Gabe Perreault ahead of NHL deadline
Not surprisingly, Kaplan confirmed what’s long been reported that the Rangers are seeking a center and a right wing ahead of the deadline. That’s the case even though Jonny Brodzinski has played extremely well at 3C and signed a two-year contract this week.
The Rangers hunt for a center picked up steam after Filip Chytil was lost for the season with an upper-body injury believed to be a concussion last month. And their interest in acquiring a right wing to play alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider intensified when Blake Wheeler was lost for the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury last week.
Othmann was the Rangers’ first-round pick in 2021. The 21-year-old has 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 45 games with Hartford of the American Hockey League. He’s scoreless in three NHL games with the Rangers, and was recalled earlier this week when Artemi Panarin and Jimmy Vesey were questionable for a game against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Othmann did not play in that 5-1 Blueshirts’ win and was returned to the AHL.
Perreault was the No. 23 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 draft by the Rangers. The 18-year-old had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) helping the United States win the 2024 World Junior Championship.
In 30 games as a freshman at Boston College this season, Perreault has 50 points (15 goals, 35 assists).
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