Connor Bedard won't be the first-rounder in the spotlight Thursday night at the Garden.
Instead, Chicago's 2023 No. 1 overall pick will cede attention to Brennan Osman, the Rangers' 16th overall pick in the 2021 draft. Brennan Osman will make his NHL debut in this game against the Blackhawks after being recalled from Hartford late Wednesday.
Osman, who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Friday, will be in the lineup in place of Tyler Pitlick, who suffered a lower-body injury to the checking winger during Tuesday's 6-1 loss to Carolina.
The length of time Pitlick will be out is expected to be undetermined. The NHL's new term is “weekly.”
Interestingly, Osman, who has not scored in nine games, is unlikely to play Pitlick's role, so head coach Peter Laviolette will have to make do.
Moving Johnny Brodzinski to the center to form a line with Osman and Will Quill, with Barclay Goodrow shifting to the wing in a remade checking unit with Jimmy Vesey and Nick Bonino, the bottom You could play around with 6.
It was a line that remained intact in eight of the club's first 10 games. The numbers around it were frightening.
Alternatively, Coach Laviolette could make a much more drastic move by moving Osman up to the right wing position in conjunction with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad and shifting Blake Wheeler to a modified bottom six. there is a possibility.
Osman scored nine goals and 23 points in 28 games for the Wolfpack in his first professional season.
This nine-game drought comes on the heels of streaks in which the Toronto suburb native scored six goals in four games and seven goals in six games.
