Per Larry Brooks, the Rangers will try both Alexis Lafreniere and Brennan Othmann at right wing to start training camp. While this isn’t necessarily surprising, it’s good to hear that the Rangers are trying to get their top kids into prime positions to produce. For offensively inclined players, especially those with a shoot-first mentality like both Othmann and Lafreniere, the off-wing can serve as a launching point for better scoring totals.
Drury says that Lafreniere and Othmann will have opportunity to play RW through camp.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) September 14, 2023
If you recall, the trio of Lafreniere, Artemi Panarin, and Vincent Trocheck produced solid offensive numbers for the Rangers before being broken up. The line was undone by subpar goaltending to start the season and never reunited once the Kid Line was put back together. There is enough evidence from last season to show that this trio should be given a long, long look, both with Trocheck and with Filip Chytil.
Othmann is unlikely to break camp with the Rangers, but a strong camp could cement him as the first injury call up into the top-six. Flexibility is key here, and if both Lafreniere and Othmann can play either wing, then injuries in the top-six have less of an impact.
It has been expected that Lafreniere will play RW in the top six to start the season.
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Categorized: Preseason