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.
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