Prospect Info: At 16th Overall the Rangers Select Brennan Othmann

Amazing Kreiderman

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Apr 11, 2011
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I have to think our scouts were in the group that thought he had low offensive upside. He's a very polarizing prospect.

This isn't directed at you, HG but...

I heard the same about Lundell, and he has proven people wrong so far. Svechkov getting a shot in the KHL will tell a better story of what his upside really is, but his numbers in the VHL looked fine IMO.

I often feel these narratives are just dropped by someone and everyone automatically parrots whatever is said.

Andersson is NHL ready
Wahlstrom is a future star and we are idiots for not drafting him
Seider isn't worth a top-10 pick
Lundell has low offensive upside
Othmann's production didn't improve so he won't make the NHL

I can go on. Every year these narratives are just amplified by people simply echoing them.

I am confident the Rangers can identify the talent needed to make it to the NHL. Picking the best player 5 years from now, not the best player today. Loooking back, McIlrath was a terrible pick even on draft day. Andersson was a heavily criticized pick and in hindsight, rightfully so, but it's not as if the alternatives in that range have proven us wrong for not picking them either (Mittelstadt, Vilardi, Tippett, Rasmussen).

Circling back to Svechkov: My desire to draft him faded a bit the moment he moved to SKA. Nothing wrong with playing for SKA but I prefer to see our prospects play a bigger role than they get at one of the 2 army teams. Buchnevich in Cherepovets IMO was better for his development than the time he spent in St Petersburg.

PS: If Hunter Skinner ever makes the team, your username will be epic
 

pblawr

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Jul 16, 2016
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I'm on board with Othmann over Lucius and Svechkov.

Lucius has a great shot and great hands, but he really doesn't drive play and relies on his teammates to do a lot of the hard work to create scoring chances.

Svechkov does a lot of hard work to drive play and he might have been limited by a weak supporting cast on his VHL team, but he doesn't do a lot to create scoring chances and I'd take his high scoring totals at the U18's when he was playing with Michkov and Chibrikov with a grain of salt.

Othmann gives you some of his both. His production hasn't been as impressive as Lucius, but he's got a great shot, flashes great hands (see between the legs goal at U18's) and is a pretty good passer too. I would argue he has the skillset of a guy who puts up more points than he did and maybe without the disruption of playing in a Men's league in a new country where he doesn't speak the language, he would have.

He works hard and is an effective forechecker, wins puck battles in the defensive and offensive zone, and transports the puck. Maybe he doesn't drive play quite as much as Svechkov, especially in the defensive zone, but he's a lot more noticeable than Lucius.

On top of that, he has the in-your-face physical component to his game and great work ethic. If he can clean up his skating mechanics, he's got the potential to be an above average skater. He gets around pretty well despite poor mechanics and his trainer says he's one of his top athletes in dryland training.

If he turns into a Ryan Callahan-type, maybe that isn't as valuable as a Miller, Lundkvist, Kravtsov could be, but that's still a really valuable player on a winning team.
 
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RangerBlues

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I think the Rangers had a good draft. Not bad, not spectacular, but with a clear purpose in mind. Like a few of their recent actions, I don't think we maximized value. But I do think we came away with useful parts.

Bolduc was a one-time consideration for them, but he slipped on their radar.

Lucius was close. But there were teams who had concerns about some of the medical reports there. I think that was a major consideration for them.

I do think it's almost comical that our approach to the center position is the cosmic balance needed for the Kings to do what they're doing.

The approach is not to pick one in the first round unless hes a sure thing
 

Edge

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The approach is not to pick one in the first round unless hes a sure thing

Last year I admit that passing on Schneider for some of the other options would've been difficult.

This year, in the same vein, I will say that I liked a few centers who were there on the board.

I think probably the second round of 2018 and the first round of 2021 were our chance to add some very good center prospects.
 

GoAwayPanarin

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Got it - so having his ELC signed gives us the ability to play him those 9 games if we wanted?

Yeah, as unlikely as it is.

Anymore than that in any given season and his contract will burn a year. After 2022-23, those years will burn regardless of whether or not he plays a single game in the NHL.
 
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Amazing Kreiderman

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Apr 11, 2011
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he has to play (in a standard year) like 8 or 10+ games to burn a year. totally fine. the only thing this affects is max contract count at the moment.

Only if he's in the NHL. If he's sent to the OHL and his contract slides, it's also SPC exempt.

Article 1 on page 7 of the CBA:

upload_2021-8-12_18-13-38.png
 

Fansince1992

Registered User
May 18, 2014
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That's why they drafted an Oth(er)Mann instead of a CenterMann.

I'll be performing at The Dadjoke Cafe Friday night.

You would think a team that never has centers in the pipeline would drafts some centers. It's like they don't believe in order to win you have to draft down the middle. SMH
 

Amazing Kreiderman

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Apr 11, 2011
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Is the plan to get him in Hartford?

The Wolfpack could be stacked

He's not eligible.

No, he was playing in Switzerland on loan, so for draft purposes he was drafted out of the OHL.

This is a similar situation, albeit in reverse, to Rasmus Sandin and Filip Zadina in 2018, who played in the OHL on loan from their teams from Europe and therefore counted as European draft picks making them AHL eligible.
 
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Kocur Dill

picklicious
Feb 7, 2010
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You would think a team that never has centers in the pipeline would drafts some centers. It's like they don't believe in order to win you have to draft down the middle. SMH

I made a tongue in cheek post here a week before the draft stating we should draft all centers with every pick and see if we hit a home run. Wouldn't hurt, we are shocked at every other position near term.
 
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Oscar Lindberg

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Dec 14, 2015
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Kid will spend two years tearing up the CHL and then come to Hartford (or get traded)

Not gonna see him in NY for a while, if ever
 

Amazing Kreiderman

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Apr 11, 2011
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Kid will spend two years tearing up the CHL and then come to Hartford (or get traded)

Not gonna see him in NY for a while, if ever

It took Kreider 3 years in college and a season in the AHL before he was good enough for the NHL. Yeah, he had that great start in the 2012 post-season, but wasn't an NHL regular until the 2013-14 season.

I think that's a timeline to look at. If we're optimistic, maybe he gets there after 3 years.

2021-22: OHL
2022-23: OHL
2023-24: AHL with some NHL games
2024-25: NHL regular.
 

brians1128

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Nov 1, 2016
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Last year I admit that passing on Schneider for some of the other options would've been difficult.

This year, in the same vein, I will say that I liked a few centers who were there on the board.

I think probably the second round of 2018 and the first round of 2021 were our chance to add some very good center prospects.

The Schneider pick doesn't sting the way the 2018 second round stings.
 

Edge

Kris King's Ghost
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The Schneider pick doesn't sting the way the 2018 second round stings.

2018 I wanted Drury there. And I had Thomas pretty high on the list there as well. I thought he brought excellent value as a second round pick.

If the medicals had given a little more comfort, I also really liked Lapierre in 2020.
 

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