Brennan Othmann (© Danny Wild-Imagn Images)
The Chicago Blackhawks are still rebuilding, but have shown signs of improvement early on this season. At the time of this writing, they currently have a 3-2-2 record and are fourth in the Central Division standings.
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With the Blackhawks rebuilding, it would be understandable if they are open to adding more young talent to their roster. Because of this, they have now been labeled as a potential fit for one of the NHL’s most interesting trade candidates.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Adam Gretz argued that the Blackhawks could be a good landing spot for former New York Rangers first-round pick Brennan Othmann. In addition, Gretz brought up the possibility of the Blackhawks trading Lukas Reichel to the Rangers for Othmann in a one-for-one swap.
“The Blackhawks have their own young, promising forward, Lukas Reichel, who has not exactly panned out as hoped and is now on the trade block,” Gretz wrote. “A lot of times, when you’re talking about dealing players like Reichel or Othmann, they end up getting swapped for one another because it’s really the only type of moves that make sense.”
The possibility of a Reichel for Othmann trade is interesting. Like Othmann, Reichel is a former first-rounder who has been the subject of trade rumors. In addition, Reichel has had trouble breaking out for the Blackhawks, just like Othmann with the Rangers.
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Othmann has played in just 25 career NHL games over the last two seasons with the Rangers, where he has recorded two assists, 49 hits, and a plus-7 rating. While he has struggled offensively at the NHL level, he has shown promise in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack. In 67 games with Hartford in 2023-24, he recorded 21 goals and 49 points. He also had 12 goals and 20 points in 27 games with the AHL squad last season.
Reichel, on the other hand, has far more NHL experience than Othmann. In 173 career NHL games over five seasons so far, Reichel has posted 22 goals, 35 assists, and 57 points. He also has two goals and one assist in four games so far this season, with all of them coming during Chicago’s Oct. 15 contest against the St. Louis Blues.
Do you think Othmann could be a good low-risk prospect for the Blackhawks to bring in, even if Reichel did not go the other way? While Othmann has yet to blossom into a full-time NHL player, he is still only 22 years old and would give Chicago another interesting prospect.