Why Brendan Brisson is under radar forward option for Rangers: 'Know I can do it'

Coming off a down season that included being traded to a new organization, Brendan Brisson remains confident that he can earn a spot on the New York Rangers’ opening-night roster this fall.

“I want to make the team (Rangers) out of camp,” Brisson told the Hartford Wolf Pack web site. “I know I can do it, I’ve made an NHL roster before out of camp in Vegas, so just make it to camp and stick. I know what’s going to keep me in the League. I learned a lot from last year, and I want to use everything I learned over the summer and into camp. If I do that, I think I’ll be good.”

The 23-year-old can play center or on the wing, not dissimilar to Juuso Parssinen and Jonny Brodzinski, likely two of the players Brisson needs to beat out for a roster spot. Then there’s a pair of first-round picks — Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann — in the mix, and Brett Berard. Don’t forget newcomer Taylor Raddysh.

The numbers game doesn’t appear to work in Brisson’s favor. That, of course, makes him a true under-the-radar option to play on New York’s third line — or somewhere in the middle six. A fourth-line role is not out of the question, but not very likely. Assuming all goes as expected, Sam Carrick, Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom should be set there.

But Brisson was a first-round pick in 2020 — No. 29 overall by the Golden Knights — and a potent point producer at the University of Michigan. He also scored 18 and 19 goals his first two seasons in the minors, with Henderson of the American Hockey League. And he was on Vegas’ opening-night roster a year ago.

In other words, don’t overlook him in camp come September.

Brendan Brisson eyes spot on Rangers after ‘tough year for me’

However, Brisson does have a lot to prove this fall. He averaged less than 10 minutes TOI and was scoreless in nine games with the Golden Knights last season. A lineup regular the first month of the season, Brisson was sent back to the AHL in early November and played just two NHL games the rest of the season before he was traded to the Rangers for forward Reilly Smith on March 6.

Brisson lost confidence and failed to produce in the AHL. He had 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) and was minus-24 in 45 games with Henderson last season.

Things got better for him after he was acquired by the Rangers. Brisson had six points (two goals, four assists) in 16 games.

“It was great when I got here,” Brisson explained. “The whole organization, the staff, the coaches, the players, they welcomed me with open arms and really allowed me to try to get my confidence back. It was a tough year for me, and they were great in that way.”

The biggest issue was that Brisson lost his scoring touch — and confidence.

“I feel like the things that I wasn’t as good at as I was in the past this year was stuff on the offensive side and making plays, which normally comes natural to me,” he shared.

Brisson is an intriguing option for the Rangers. It was just two seasons ago that he had eight points (two goals, six assists) in 15 games with the Golden Knights, roughly a 40-point pace in his taste of the NHL. He also had 38 points (19 goals, 19 assists) in 52 AHL games in 2023-24.

“Physically, for me, it’s about getting faster, getting back into better conditioning and being quicker on pucks,” he said. “I feel like working on the stuff that I’m good at again and finding my confidence in those areas will be important too. Get all those kinks knocked out and have a big summer and a big camp.”

It’s going to be an uphill climb for Brisson, who signed a one-year contract with the Rangers in July. But that doesn’t mean you should rule him out either.