Rangers cut losses, trade former 1st-round pick Brennan Othmann to Flames
Unfortunately for the New York Rangers, they’ve become accustomed to cutting their losses when it comes to disappointing first-round draft picks. They did it again Friday, trading Brennan Othmann to the Calgary Flames for forward prospect Jacob Battaglia.
Othmann was the No. 16 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. And for several years, he was New York’s top prospect. But the Rangers — especially first-year coach Mike Sullivan — soured on the 23-year-old forward, and it felt inevitable that Othmann wouldn’t remain in the organization past the trade deadline Friday. Othmann’s name started to circulate in trade rumors as far back as October.
“He’s a terrific kid and worked extremely hard to try and make it work here. For a number of reasons, it just didn’t. To no one’s fault,” Rangers general manager Chris Drury told reporters. “I think he’d been looking for a new opportunity, and really wanted to give him that chance. Just like any other deal, not going to give him away. Think he’s a good young player and we were able to get the prospect we did with Calgary and made the deal. Certainly, no hard feeling on our end and wish him luck.”
In Calgary, he’ll get a fresh start, which Othmann sorely requires. Sullivan quickly lost patience with Othmann’s defensive lapses and lack of production, and cut him quickly in training camp. In turn, Othmann lost confidence — an issue during his entire time in New York — and never really found his game again this season.
So, the Rangers swapped him for Battaglia, a 19-year-old forward who was a second-round pick (No. 62 overall) in the 2024 draft. Playing with Kingston in the OHL, Battaglia scored 40 goals in 68 games last season, and 31 in 67 games during his draft year.
This season, he has 43 points (26 goals, 17 assists) in 58 OHL games with Kingston and Flint. Since he was traded to Flint, where he’s now a teammate with Rangers forward prospect Nathan Aspinall, Battaglia has 12 goals and 16 points in 22 games.
“Jacob Battaglia has been playing with Nathan Aspinall since Flint traded for him, and has nine goals in his past 13 games,” said Jess Rubenstein of The Prospect Park. “High hockey IQ. Despite that his stats look like he is just a goal scorer, has excellent passing skills. But at best, he’s a high energy third liner who will fit well with Noah Laba and Will Cuylle. I don’t see him as a center at the NHL level.”
The Ontario native signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Flames on March 29, 2025, and can go pro as early as next season. He turns 20 later this month and is one of three forward prospects to join the Rangers since general manager Chris Drury publicly announced an organizational retool in mid-January.
The Rangers acquired Liam Greentree from the Los Angeles Kings in the Artemi Panarin trade back in early February. Aidan Thompson arrived ahead of the trade deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks in a minor league swap for defenseman Derrick Pouliot.
Brennan Othmann lost confidence, ran out of time with Rangers
Othmann joins a list of failed first-round picks recently in New York. Lias Andersson, the No. 7 overall selection in the 2017 draft, and Vitali Kravtsov, No. 9 overall the next year, are out of the NHL. In fact, each of their five first-round picks in 2017 and 2018 no longer are with the organization. Filip Chytil (No. 21 overall in 2017), K’Andre Miller (No. 22 in 2018), and Nils Lundkvist (No. 28 in 2018) each were traded away and play for other teams in the NHL, as does Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 overall pick in 2019.
Alexis Lafreniere (No. 1 overall in 2020) and Braden Schneider (No. 19 overall in 2020) are regulars in the Rangers lineup, though each player came up in trade discussions before the deadline. Gabe Perreault, their first-rounder in 2024 (No. 24 overall) is in his rookie season with the Rangers. Defenseman EJ Emery, No. 30 overall in 2025, is in his sophomore season at North Dakota University.
Othmann never lived up to the billing as the high-scoring power forward the Rangers desperately craved. He scored 50 goals in 66 OHL games with Flint in 2021-22, and had 21 as a rookie pro with Hartford of the American Hockey League two seasons later. He also helped Canada win consecutive World Junior Championships in 2022 and 2023.
But in 25 NHL games through last season, Othmann failed to find the back of the net. He finally scored his first NHL goal Jan. 17 in a 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. But Sullivan didn’t trust Othmann, who played limited minutes on the fourth line in 17 games this season and exits Broadway with one goal and two assists in 42 career NHL games.
The Flames (24-30-7) are next to last in the Western Conference, so there should be plenty of opportunity for a clean slate for Othmann to revive his career. This move felt like it was just time for the young forward to move on.
