Brennan Othmann’s quick exit from Rangers camp not an encouraging sign

The first meaningful cut was the deepest for Brennan Othmann, who was sent to the AHL Wolf Pack on Wednesday while the Rangers kept youngblood forwards Noah Laba, Gabe Perreault and Brett Berard, all of whom eclipsed the training camp performance of the 16th overall selection of the 2021 draft — and by a significant margin.

“We think they’ve played extremely well and we think they’re deserving of being here we’re trying to give them the longest possible looks,” head coach Mike Sullivan said of the aforementioned triumvirate. “Through performance alone, the guys on the ice were deserving.”

That did not include Othmann, whose game never found traction after a particularly difficult first exhibition game in New Jersey on Sept. 21. There was improvement but not significant enough to merit a longer look. Everyone does develop at his own pace, but this quick exit is not particularly encouraging.

“Otter and I have had a number of conversations even before training camp started, starting around the Lehigh Valley [Rookies] Tournament,” Sullivan said of the 22-year-old winger who at least made it to the final cut each of the last two camps. “A lot of discussion we have has been on conscientious play, attention to detail, defensively away from the puck, playing within structure, having some predictability, reliability and dependability around his game.

“That’s essentially what it boils down to, the attention to detail in all zones on both sides of the puck, but in particular on the defensive side. Those are conversations I’ve had with Otter.”

The opening night roster might not include any of Perreault, Laba and Berard. If the Rangers sign Conor Sheary off his PTO and keep Jonny Brodzinski rather than exposing organizational soldier to waivers, there doesn’t seem an obvious path for any of three young amigos.

There is still time before the Oct. 7 opener at the Garden against the Penguins, but Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere, Will Cuylle, J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, Juuso Parssinen, Taylor Raddysh (signed as a free agent off Washington for two years at a $1.55 Million AAV), Adam Edstrom, Sam Carrick and Matt Rempe appear locks.

That adds up to 11. Sheary, who has had a good camp, is 12. Brodzinski, an emergency center, would make 13.

Of course, the opening night roster is not as important as the roster a month or two from now. Two years ago, the Rangers started with Nick Bonino and Tyler Pitlick. Neither were in place the second half of the season.

“Rosters in the NHL are fluid. They can change in a day. They could change next week,” Sullivan said following a demanding practice that lasted more than a hour. “If a decision is reached today, it’s not like it’s etched in stone.

“There is no finality to it.”

While the Rangers still have nine defensemen on the roster, it appears certain that the club will at least start on defense with the pairings of Vlad Gavrikov-Adam Fox, Carson Soucy-Will Borgen and Urho Vaakanainen-Braden Schneider.

The competition for the seventh spot is between Matthew Robertson, 28-year-old righty Casey Fitzgerald (the Wolf Pack captain) and Scott Morrow, though Morrow would likely be assigned to Hartford rather than serving in a reserve role in the NHL.

“These decisions aren’t easy. They’re difficult,” Sullivan said. “We’re excited about where some of these young players are but there is a certain process we are going to go through.

“The question with young players is what’s the best path to turn these players into impact players in the most expeditious fashion. Every player is unique and you have to have these discussions on a case by case basis.”

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J.T. Miller stayed off the ice after sustaining a non-contact lower-body injury toward the end of Monday’s practice. The captain is listed as day-to-day.

“Status quo,” said Sullivan. “Obviously we’re going to err on the side of caution.”

Sam Carrick, also day-to-day with a lower body issue, skated with a coach before practice.

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Rangers have two pre-season games remaining, Thursday at the Garden against the Devils and then Saturday afternoon in Boston.