It’s no secret that the New York Rangers are in need of more scoring depth.
After losing two consecutive games at home while only scoring one goal in the process, Mike Sullivan called the team’s scoring woes “concerning” as they’ve struggled to find consistent offense all season long, specifically while playing at home.
In response to their dreadful two-game stretch, the Rangers called up Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
Perreault is a prospect who’s highly touted for his offensive skill set.
The 2023 first-round pick is ranked as the 28th-best prospect on ESPN’s Top NHL Prospect Rankings.
To kick off the season in Hartford, Perreault has proven to be a lethal offensive threat, recording 10 goals, seven assists, and 17 points in 20 games.
While the 20-year-old forward spent three games with the Rangers earlier in the season and even was given a top-six role, Perreault still dealt with a steep learning curve adapting to NHL play and Sullivan was uncomfortable putting him in difficult situations, especially defensively matched up against opposing teams’ top players.
However, the Blueshirts’ lack of offensive firepower brought Perreault back into the fold, and now he has a golden opportunity to carve out a top-six role and a permanent spot in the lineup.
“We just want to see where his game is at, and we're trying to put him in a position to succeed,” Sullivan said of Perreault. “The last time that we called him up, we put him in the top six with our top players. The challenge with that is, is you're playing against opponent's top players also. You're getting the top defense pair, you're playing against some of the harder players to play against when you're in that situation. It's a little bit of a double edged sword from that standpoint. We're excited about Gabe's game and where it can go. We also recognize that this is a process in allowing a young player to get there...We don't want young players like Gabe to get overwhelmed.”
“Part of our job is to make sure that we protect him in that regard. We're excited about his game. Obviously, he has good offensive instincts, he's a good player. This is just part of the development process, and my experience of coaching players like Gabe along the way over the years is sometimes it takes a little bit of time for guys to figure it out, and he's going through that process. When they ultimately figure it out, everybody's different from that regard, we'll watch the games and see how he does, and hopefully make what we think are the best decisions for him and for our team. I think he's had a pretty good stretch of games in Hartford, and we like potentially what he could bring to our lineup.”
Othmann is a player who has been attempting to earn a spot with the Rangers for a couple of years, and it almost feels as if the clock is ticking on his future in New York.
During the 2024-25 campaign, Othmann played in 22 games for the Rangers, but he failed to score a goal, and once he didn’t make New York’s opening-night roster out of training camp, trade rumors began to swirl involving him.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Oct. 16 that the Rangers are open to the idea of trading Othmann.
A slow start to the season with the Wolf Pack didn’t make matters any better. However, he’s been able to flip the switch recently, scoring three goals in his past four AHL games, which led to him being called up to the NHL.
Expected to play on a line alongside Matt Rempe and Sam Carrick, Othmann is being given a chance to prove his worth to the Rangers organization.
“I think he's playing more to his identity,” Sullivan said of Othmann. “He's playing more of a north-south game. He's getting in on the forecheck. He plays with an edge, and that's what he's capable of doing. He's getting to the net.
“I think in my short time here in New York, and trying to get to know his game and become more familiar with him, that's what we think his game looks like when he's at his best. That's part of it. The other aspect of it is just reliable, conscientious play, attention to detail defensively, when he doesn't have the puck, knowing what your job is, and doing your job. That's an important element of it also, so I think he's making progress in all of those areas.”
On the other side of the coin, Brett Berard was sent down to the Wolf Pack after playing in 11 games for the Rangers.
Rangers Call Up Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault From AHL The New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/">Rangers</a> have recalled Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League while sending Brett Berard and Jaroslav Chmelar back down.
While Sullivan liked what he saw out of Berard, there’s still an element of consistency that Sullivan feels Berard still needs to unlock.
“I thought Brett played well for us,” Sullivan said. “He brings a lot of energy, he can skate, he gets in on the forecheck. I think there's opportunities for him to continue to improve in just the details of his game away from the puck, tracking back into coverage, knowing what his job is, understanding situations, rush, coverage, responsibilities, things like that. By no means are we discouraged with his game. I think we have a good understanding of what he is and what he can do, what he can bring to the team. He's a great kid. He brings a ton of energy and enthusiasm when he's here…
“The challenge is, when you make the jump from, you know, the American League to the NHL, is to be able to bring it consistently, night in and night out. It's always one of the biggest challenges that young players face.”
Perreault and Othmann are both expected to play on Thursday night when the Rangers face off against the St. Louis Blues.