Many of the New York Rangers’ key veteran forwards have struggled this season, but head coach Peter Laviolette has continued to give them lots of ice time rather than giving younger forwards an opportunity. The team is consistently getting outplayed and this is a good time to give young wingers Brennan Othmann and Brett Berard, who have both forechecked effectively, more ice time.
Brennan Othmann
The Rangers drafted Othmann 16th overall in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He spent three seasons with the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and finished with 50 goals and 47 assists in 66 games in 2021-22. He then helped the Peterborough Petes win the OHL Championship in 2022-23 and had eight goals and 17 assists in 23 playoff games.
Othmann spent the majority of last season playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) and had 21 goals and 28 assists in 67 games. He also played three games for the Rangers, averaging just 9:05 in ice time per game and he did not have any points. This season, he missed 10 weeks with an upper-body injury but has 12 goals and eight assists in 27 games with the Wolf Pack.
Additionally, Othmann has spent time with the Rangers, and he just got his first NHL point with an assist in the team’s 5-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on March 22. He was one of their most effective forwards in the game but played just 8:17. Though he is not yet scoring, he is getting in on the forecheck, playing with physicality, and creating some scoring chances. He is playing well defensively, but he is on the fourth line playing with Matt Rempe and Juuso Parssinen, and averaging just 9:05 in ice time per game. He is plus-2 and has no goals, one assist, and 29 hits in 13 games.
Othmann is playing well, but instead of allowing him to play more, he is buried on the fourth line. He is one of the team’s top prospects, and he needs to get an opportunity to play a bigger role for the Rangers down the stretch this season.
Brett Berard
The Rangers drafted Berard in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He showed offensive promise and skated well with Providence College and finished with 18 goals and 20 assists in 2021-22, and 10 goals and 14 assists in 2022-23.
Berard spent last season with the Wolf Pack and led the team in goals with 25 and had 23 assists in 71 games. He tied for the team lead in points in the playoffs (six) as he finished with one goal and five assists in 10 games. He also has nine goals and 14 assists in 30 games this season.
On Nov. 25, Berard made his NHL debut with the Rangers and recorded his first point in a 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. He then recorded his first goal in a 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 27. He had three goals and four assists in 19 games and used his speed to get in on the forecheck. Though he is only 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds he drove to the front of the net and did not back down from bigger opponents.
The Rangers sent Berard back to the AHL in January, but they recalled him, and he scored a goal in his first game back with them in a 4-0 win over the Nashville Predators on March 2. He did not record a point in his next eight games and was scratched in their 5-3 win over the Canucks. He has done a nice job in a bottom-six role and has four goals, four assists, 40 hits, and is minus-8 in 28 games. He is averaging just 10:41 in ice time per game. Like Othmann, he deserves to stay in the lineup and get more ice time.
For the Rangers Moving Forward
Over the last 10 seasons, the Rangers have inserted young forwards like Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere, and Filip Chytil into their lineup. However, they rarely played them in the top six or gave them opportunities on the power play in their first few seasons. This strategy has not worked well so they need to learn from their past mistakes. They must show more faith in Othmann and Berard, who are two of their top forward prospects, and give them more ice time in their final 11 games this season.
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