Brennan Othmann didn’t leave much room for interpretation when he talked about his time with the Rangers.
Ahead of New York’s recent game against the Calgary Flames, the forward was candid about how his development unfolded with the organization that drafted him No. 16 overall in 2021. Othmann said he felt the opportunity never really came his way in New York.
“I just never got a fair leash. I felt like others did, and I just wanted that opportunity somewhere else,” he said, via Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required).
That kind of blunt exit line is notable on its own, but it lands even harder given the Rangers’ recent track record with first-round picks. From 2017 through 2021, the club made nine selections in the opening round, and only two of them - Alexis Lafreniere and Braden Schnieder, taken No. 1 and No. 19 in the 2020 NHL Draft - are still with the franchise.
Othmann was the most recent of those first-rounders to move on, and his stint in New York never really took off. In 42 games with the NHL club, he posted three points, scoring one goal and adding two assists. There were some encouraging underlying numbers, but not enough to earn him steady ice time.
That lack of runway clearly bothered him. Othmann described the jump from Hartford to New York as a difficult one, pointing to the difference in role and responsibility.
“You play big minutes in Hartford, you play on the power play, you play on the penalty kill, and then you come up, and you don’t play anything,” Othmann said. “You play nine minutes a night, and it’s hard.
I’ve always been a guy that coaches lean on, and when you’re not really a guy right away, it’s frustrating. You’re trying to learn on that, trying to build off that.
That’s kind of the mental side of things that no one knows of.”
Head coach Mike Sullivan spoke positively about Othmann, but the player’s own view of his Rangers experience was much less flattering. He was also the first draft pick made by the Chris Drury-led front office, which made the outcome even more disappointing from the organization’s side.
Still, the split had the feel of something that needed to happen. Othmann and the Rangers weren’t finding the right fit, and a change of scenery was the cleanest path forward.
He hasn’t fully settled in with the Flames yet, but Othmann is glad to be in Calgary after finally getting traded there.
In Other News...
Flames May Have Found A Game Breaker With One Huge Catch
Matvei Michkov has already shown why he was taken seventh overall in 2023, and the offensive upside is obvious enough that teams around the league keep paying attention. At 21, he has flashed real scoring ability in Russia and then carried that skill into his NHL rookie season, giving the sense of a player who can tilt a game when he gets the puck in the right spots.
For the Flames, the intrigue is easy to understand, because players with that kind of ceiling do not come around often. The catch is just as clear: questions about his size, defensive game and attitude have followed him, along with reports of friction with coaches and teammates, leaving the bigger issue less about talent than whether a team can trust the rest of the package. [Read more 🡒]
Zayne Parekhs Rise Just Became A Bigger Flames Story
Zayne Parekh came close to turning a quiet moment into a memorable one in the Flames game against the Rangers, only to be turned aside by Joonas Korpisalo. Even so, the chance was enough to put Parekh back in the spotlight after the game, where he spoke about the sequence and about Calgarys recent struggles as the team tries to steady itself.
With Kevin Bahl out for the season, the door is open a little wider for Parekh to become a bigger part of the blue line picture. The Flames will be watching closely on the upcoming road trip to see whether he can keep building on flashes like the one he showed against New York and start looking more like a top defenceman option. [Read more 🡒]
Adam Klapka Just Earned A Bigger Flames Opportunity
Adam Klapka is getting a clear sign of trust from the Flames as they prepare to face the Los Angeles Kings, with the forward set to move out of the fourth line and up alongside Morgan Frost and Yegor Sharangovich. It is a notable bump for a player who has quietly earned more attention through steady play, and head coach Ryan Huska made it clear the move is about rewarding consistency as much as it is about shuffling the lineup.
Klapka has put together seven points through 19 games, and now he gets a chance to see whether that production can hold up with more ice time and some power play work. For Calgary, the hope is that a bigger role brings out even more of the same dependable shifts that have made him one of the clubs more reliable forwards so far this season. [Read more 🡒]