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

[brakeyawself]

id be interested in your thoughts on the pick.

So we just drafted our future 3rd line winger, in the 1st round?

 

[Gardner McKay]

I'll reserve judgement until I see what the center ice position looks like on opening night.. but man right now we have two centers who are both UFAs after this season and Chytil as the only options for one long term anytime soon.

It isn't like a C drafted at 16 would be in the lineup on opening night. That is an asinine assumption.

Whether our C depth is Zibby - Eichel - Chytil or Chytil is our top line C, this pick has no bearing.

 

[FIRE DRURY]

L

A Western Scout on Othmann: "Rangers are banking on Othmann becoming their Morrow."

Other thoughts from scouts:

Think the game will translate to the NHL.

A kid who you draft not because he's the best player in 2021, but because he's one of the better players in 2025.

You better be right. Regardless, me and about 68 other NYR fans will be at your new place tmr morning protesting like lunatics, using real human feces as projectiles.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Why would anyone get made at being called "bacon"? Patnyrnygbacon? I like the sound of that.

Amazing Baconman sounds cool

 

[brakeyawself]

delete

 

[brakeyawself]

You can say that about a lot of players. But any time you draft a guy 15-20 and he turns out like CK, you should be beyond thrilled.

There's a long way to go before we can start even considering comparing Othmann to Kreider. I didn't think he was the BPA personally. About 5 guys ahead of him still that were still available. But hey, "grit" and "power" seems to be Drury's "words of the day" Blais for Buch, why? "Grit and power." Othmann why? "Grit and power".

Sure, these are important aspects of the game. But the cost of those aspects relative to various other, harder to find skills, has me questioning the asset management and use of the trade and the pick.

 

[Edge]

L


You better be right. Regardless, me and about 68 other NYR fans will be at your new place tmr morning protesting like lunatics, using real human feces as projectiles.

They better be right. I freely admit the scouts are higher on him than I am as a 16th overall pick.

 

[FireGerardGallant]

The former plays for Barrie now.

Welp, completely forgot about that. Oh well

 

[SickNice]

At least it wasn't Buffalo making the pick...

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

id be interested in your thoughts on the pick.

While he wasn't my first, second or even third choice with how the board played out, I can't be too upset with this. Othmann is a smart player from what I've seen (albeit limited) and this organization needed wingers as much as it needed centers to be perfectly honest.

What centers with top-6 upside do we have in our org? Maaaaybe Berard? That's about it. There's a good posibility this kid jumps in around 2024 and can replace Kreider like I said earlier. That's their goal, I feel.

Remains to be seen how he does but from a production-perspective, he had a good season in the Swiss 2nd tier. 15 points in his first 17 before being a victim of the team completely collapsing.

I have a reason to watch some OHL games this upcoming season with Cuylle, Vierling and now Othmann in the mix.

 

[duhmetreE]

Give the scouting team the benefit of the doubt. They've had some hiccups along the way but have hit more often than not in 1st rounds.

We know they liked Pettersson, Zegras and Lundell. Along with our Kravtsov, Chytil, KAM and Lundkvist picks. They are doing just fine.

 

[egelband]

Via the black book. Ranked 17

Brennan Othmann is a hockey player - albeit - one with an awkward build. We know that might look like a bazaar sentence, since everyone we write about is a hockey player, but what we’re referring to when using that phrase, is the throwback nature of Othmann. It’s a phrase often used to capture the essence of a kid, and that’s the case here. The phrase simply means, this kid will find a way to use what he has available to help get the job done for his team, no matter the physical cost. Which is exactly what we saw from him on the biggest stage he had this season at the U18’s, and consistently throughout his time on Olten in the SL, Switzerland’s 2nd tier pro league. This player forces his opponents to respect him when he’s on the ice. We’ve seen him run players through the glass, smash players to the ice, compete at all costs to get inside on opponents during puck battles - whack, slash and disrupt opponents after whistles - and generally be a really difficult player to play against. If his team is falling behind and he needs to get under his opponents’ skin, and get punched in the process, he’ll do that too. Playoff hockey is about momentum shifts, it’s about tempo, and as scouts, it’s about finding players like Brennan that can help generate shifts of momentum in your favour. He can beat teams with his skillset, but he can also disrupt the mentality of the opposing team, by enforcing his own.

Sounds like Callahan. Fine pick if true.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Bad example when Nick Suzuki was on the board still.

Nick Suzuki wasn't BPA at that point, even in his position.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Kreider developed into what we hoped.

Sure did. For his prime years. But for the years we just signed him for? Woof brutal. Easily Gortons worst move that will haunt us, and Buch was the first casualty.

 

[brakeyawself]

The kid was thrown into a new league on a different continent with the sole purpose of bettering his game and covid factors into all this as well. He is hungry, plays hard, and has a laser of a shot. Personally I go by skill, hustle, character, skating. If the skill is there, the hustle has to be met. His skill is stop six upside, but his hustle is probably tops in this draft. Let him develop and a marchard lite who is bigger will be available. Kreider wasn't drury's signing and we already paid the price for it with buch. I know we want a center, but I feel drury is going to shift focus from eichel, just until the price falls to something more reasonable. Again, this is negotiating and no team bit on buffalo's ask. Drury probably stuck to his guns and didn't want to overpay. That being said, we now have strome/lundkvist/schneider/jones/roberston as potential chips. We have picks now, like the 2nd from the buch trade. Drury's best now is to go get a center to compliment mika. Make sure its a top six 2way center because it seems goodrow will either be on the 2nd or 3rd and kravstov will be on the 3rd/2nd with kakko as 1st/2nd. Im looking for a big jump because of development curve and covid impact will be less as they can get a regulsr season going. Like the pic, would have had no problem with a center.

So even when we "shift focus from Eichel" it's a move, a negotiating ploy in order to still go after Eichel? When his price falls to something more reasonable?

I think once we "shift focus from Eichel" we will be looking at, well, other players than Eichel. I don't think you can really do both. Meaning, I don't think Eichel is really on the table at this point. There's a better chance we end up with a completely different center for that "more reasonable price". Eichel still seems like a pipe dream. Because, when his price does drop, every other team will still be interested, which will just put negotiating power back in Buffalo's hands. If Buffalo is smart, since they hold THE CARDS on this, they don't really drop their price, they bait other teams until someone just thinks they are getting Eichel for a "better and fair price." And I hope to god that GM isn't Drury and that team isn't the Rangers. It's not like there won't be 15 other teams hoping for the exact same thing.

And I think you are overlooking the obvious here. If we somehow move Strome I would be happy, but I would rather not ship him out for a hill of beans. I think it's more than likely we start out next year with Chytil at 2C and Strome on his RW.

At this point I am expecting us to add an above average 3C with "grit and power" which seem to be things Drury values over, well, other, more difficult to find and more expensive traits. At least that seems the case with the Buch trade and possibly the Othmann pick. But hey, I would be happy to be wrong about Othmann. Just don't see him as the BPA at that point in the draft. But at least he is in the conversation.

 

[LaffyTaffyNYR]

It isn't like a C drafted at 16 would be in the lineup on opening night. That is an asinine assumption.

Whether our C depth is Zibby - Eichel - Chytil or Chytil is our top line C, this pick has no bearing.

No but sooner or later you have to actually start to get them and drafting them is the cheapest way.

 

[Hinterland]

I am with you 100%. There were a number of terrific Centers left on the board and and I am not even sold Othmann was the BPA. I had at least 5 players I thought were more so, the BPA who could have still been taken. My jaw was on the floor. I would have happily taken Lucius, Lysell, Bolduc, Svechkov, Ceulemans, and probably the actual BPA, Wallstedt. at this point. I guess the play was really Lucius though, who seemed liked the perfect type of center to me to let grow at his own pace for a few years.

I don't believe Othmann was the BPA at the time. I think Othmann just brings some physicality and power which is needed, but IMO, not when you can add high end talent for the same price. I guess we will see, maybe Othmann does have both. But like the trade for Blais earlier in the day, this seems like poor asset management to an extent.

In one day, Drury has made me go from optimism to head scratching and a bit of "wtf his he up to? Omg I hope he's the right guy for the job."

He still may be the right guy for the job. But thees choices are going to have to prove themselves in the long run.

I wouldn't call this the most auspicious start to his tenure.

McKenzie had Othmann at 16, Button at 17, Central Scouting at 8 among NA skaters ahead of Coronato and Sillinger. And more upside than Othmann is almost impossible to get at 16. His skating is great and much better than many claim it to be. His shot is elite and probably the best of the 2021 draft class. His hands are great as well and he's tirelessly working on crazy moves in practice. Yeah, he hasn't quite put it together yet on a consistent basis and yeah his size isn't great but apart from size, I really like his upside.

 

[brakeyawself]

The Rangers need Centers both Now and Later. This 3-5 year argument is a bad one. the org chart is barren.

100%. And it's arguable that a few of the centers and not Othmann were still the BPA.

 

[brakeyawself]

Perfect! We have Kakko and Kravy on the right side, but it makes a little more sense if we can develop him on the right side.

Where we still have Kakko and Kravtsov? Granted, they still have a lot to prove. But any way you look at it, there is a very good chance this guy ends up a Kreider replacement as others have said, meaning a future probable 3rd liner as things stand. Unless they don't see Panarin here long, long term, which I actually, unfortunately, think is a possibility.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

Go watch some of his YouTube highlights. The way he skates and looks on the ice reminds me of two current NHLers (with more size): Jaden Schwartz and Brad Marchand. Not saying he’s going to be them, but those are the two guys I was reminded of when watching some clips.

 

[The Sweetness]

Really like this pick. Better start drafting than with trading for Drury at least.

 

[brakeyawself]

McKenzie had Othmann at 16, Button at 17, Central Scouting at 8 among NA skaters ahead of Coronato and Sillinger. And more upside than Othmann is almost impossible to get at 16. His skating is great and much better than many claim it to be. His shot is elite and probably the best of the 2021 draft class. His hands are great as well and he's tirelessly working on crazy moves in practice. Yeah, he hasn't quite put it together yet on a consistent basis and yeah his size isn't great but apart from size, I really like his upside.

I will start off by saying, I think what Drury did here was pick a possible Panarin replacement. Long term. And I know that might sound crazy to some. But I will get into that at the bottom of this rant.

Is the the bold line supposed to change my mind? As I said, the vast majority had Lucius, Lysell and Wallstedt higher. Granted, Wallstedt wasn't going to be taken even if he was actually the BPA. But on top of that, I and many others also rated some of Svechkov and Bolduc higher. I also had Raty higher, and he wasn't picked in the 1st even. So I could very well be wrong about him.

As far as the underlined bit..... that's just not true. At all. Again, I think Lysell, Lucius and Wallstedt, along with Bolduc have MORE upside. And all could have been gotten at 16. And Svechkov it can be argued, just would have been ready sooner, but sure, Othmann probably has a higher ceiling than him. But I thought Lysell, Lucius, Wallstadt and Bolduc had higher upside than Othmann yesterday, and I will still think so tomorrow and every day until I am proven wrong, on the ice.

I am in no way suggesting Othmann is a "bad" prospect. But those arguing the BPA argument, and those arguing the NEED argument are both wrong. It's a mix of the two. Especially when many people have players at a position of need, Center, who also have them rated higher in the BPA argument. If Othmann was heads and tails above Lucius, Bolduc and Lysell I could agree with you. But I don't think he is. And I am not alone.

It seems to me like Drury isn't after the BPA either. But he's after specific traits like "toughness", "grit" and "power" and that honestly seems more like the NEED argument than the BPA argument. I also don't think those 3 traits are, right now at least, more of a need than Center though.

The following is what I actually think is happening here with this pick. Othmann is a Panarin replacement.

Frankly, if this is a future Kreider replacement, I think it was a kind of unnecessary waste of a pick. What I am really afraid of, that if this was not a "Kreider replacement" but a long term Panarin replacement. Or at least possibility of being a Panarin replacement. I am not wholly sure Panarin is in the extended long term plans of this team for various reasons. One of those is salary/cap hit. Eventually when we have to pay Fox, Lundqvist, Miller, maybe Jones, and Kakko, Chytil, Laf, Kravtsov and maybe Ziban or another center that we acquire, it's going to be very tough to also be paying Panarin top dollar. And I think Drury might be preparing for that eventuality with this pick. So I seriously believe this pick might actually mean we either don't re-sign Panarin when his contract is up, or we try to convince him to give up his NMC before that.

His contract is up in 2026. That's about the right year for this to work out as I suggest.

A 2nd line Power Forward, as Othmann is projected to be basically, won't cost near as much as Panarin. Freeing up money for our other, higher ceiling players. Someone compared Othmann to Brendan Morrow. If he ends up anything like Morrow, I would be ecstatic.

 

[Hinterland]

Is the the bold line supposed to change my mind? As I said, the vast majority had Lucius, Lysell and Wallstedt higher. Granted, Wallstedt wasn't going to be taken even if he was actually the BPA. But on top of that, I and many others also rated some of Svechkov and Bolduc higher. I also had Raty higher, and he wasn't picked in the 1st even. So I could very well be wrong about him.

As far as the underlined bit..... that's just not true. At all. Again, I think Lysell, Lucius and Wallstedt, along with Bolduc have MORE upside. And Svechkov it can be argued, just would have been ready sooner, but sure, Othmann probably has a higher ceiling than him. But I thought Lysell, Lucius, Wallstadt and Bolduc had higher upside than Othmann yesterday, and I will still think so tomorrow and every day until I am proven wrong, on the ice.

I am in no way suggesting Othmann is a "bad" prospect. But those arguing the BPA argument, and those arguing the NEED argument are both wrong. It's a mix of the two. Especially when many people have players at a position of need, Center, who also have them rated higher in the BPA argument. If Othmann was heads and tails above Lucius, Bolduc and Lysell I could agree with you. But I don't think he is. And I am not alone.

It seems to me like Drury isn't after the BPA either. But he's after specific traits like "toughness", "grit" and "power" and that honestly seems more like the NEED argument than the BPA argument. I also don't think those 3 traits are, right now at least, more of a need than Center though.

McKenzie's list is always the one closest to reality. He had all of those you mentioned below Othmann. So did Button (with the exception of Lucius who couldn't skate to save his life), Central Scouting and all other credible sources I've seen. The eye test confirms that. Othmann has the best shot of all 2021 draft prospects and he has very good hands and skating, too. He does lack some size but that's not a major disadvantage and he still does play big.

There are always a lot of random lists out there but I couldn't care less about them. Again, Lucius can't skate and Lysell and Bolduc suck anyway. Would have been horrible picks at 16. Svechkov I'd have understood but Othmann has higher upside. Again, with Othmann it's just consistency and decision making that held him back, prevented him from scoring more. Talent wise he's way ahead of those guys you mentioned. Lucius would be the most interesting but if you can't skate, you're useless in today's NHL.

 

[brakeyawself]

The more I think about this, the more I am convinced that Drury chose Othmann here as a possible PANARIN replacement. Not a Kreider replacement, and not a Kravtsov/Kakko backup/replacement. I won't repost it, but see my previous post above for that argument. Panarin's contract is up in 2026. This would make some sense.

 

[brakeyawself]

McKenzie's list is always the one closest to reality. He had all of those you mentioned below Othmann. So did Button (with the exception of Lucius who couldn't skate to save his life), Central Scouting and all other credible sources I've seen. The eye test confirms that. Othmann has the best shot of all 2021 draft prospects and he has very good hands and skating, too. He does lack some size but that's not a major disadvantage and he still does play big.

There are always a lot of random lists out there but I couldn't care less about them. Again, Lucius can't skate and Lysell and Bolduc suck anyway. Would have been horrible picks at 16. Svechkov I'd have understood but Othmann has higher upside. Again, with Othmann it's just consistency and decision making that held him back, prevented him from scoring more. Talent wise he's way ahead of those guys you mentioned. Lucius would be the most interesting but if you can't skate, you're useless in today's NHL.

I can't take your opinion seriously after I read this.... "Again, Lucius can't skate and Lysell and Bolduc suck anyway. Would have been horrible picks at 16." You seriously lost all credibility with that statement. Not even the most opinionated person would suggest something like that seriously. Unless you had no clue what you were talking about. No one, not you or McKenzie or Button, can say any of these players "suck anyway". To do so is a sign that you aren't to be taken seriously. At all.

As far as the bolded bit, WHaaaat? Frankly, McKenzie and Button are two of the LAST two I ever listen to. It's like listening to Mel Kiper for football draft advice. I don't think what you stated about McKenzie being closest to reality is correct. I don't ever take McKenzie or Button above the rest these days.

Lucius had a bone problem, that was supposedly taken care of. Which was supposedly the main issue with his skating. But Othmann's skating also wasn't great. They both need improvement in this area.

Best shot in the 2021 draft? Ok... I have heard about 3 or 4 players get the title for "best shot in the 2021 draft". Like Guenther, Sillinger I think. Maybe Kent Johnson. Honestly, I forget now, every name I have heard next to "best shot in the draft". So it's unlikely Othmann actually HAS the best shot in the draft, seeing as how he was still on the board at 16 while other "best shot" candidates were taken before him. Maybe he will ultimately have the best shot. But this is relative and clearly subjective opinion right now.

Random lists? Yea there are random lists and there are well respected lists and many of both had Othmann below these other guys. Look, you may choose to think McKenzie has the best scouting eye out there, but I completely disagree. And I much prefer an aggregate opinion along with the eye test. And to me, Othmann just wasn't the BPA on the board at that time. Nor was he the player with the "best shot" in this draft.

"Lysell and Bolduc suck anyway." - Ok now you are just clowning. And now I know your opinion isn't very serious. Because, just no. If you want to talk in certainties, with such extreme opinions, then go to sleep for the next 5 years and when you wake up we can discuss whether or not they "suck anyway." Regardless of opinion, no one with sense makes such drastic claims. Not even McKenzie, who I am still laughing about being the "one closest to reality". If you want to talk hyperbole, I am sure you can find some other lunatics to listen. As much as I dislike the Othmann pick and think there were about 5 better choices still on the board, I would never in a million years suggest "Othmann sucks" or ANY player for that matter that would likely go in the first 2 rounds of this draft or any draft because that is NOT something I or anyone else could know now. Suggesting as much only tells me your opinion is just not very serious.