Former Rangers 1st-round pick speaks out on trade: ‘never got opportunity’
Let’s just say that Brennan Othmann sounds plenty happy that the New York Rangers traded him earlier this month. And that was even before he picked up a point in his Calgary Flames debut Saturday.
The Rangers dealt their 2021 first-round pick to the Flames right before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6, and brought back forward prospect Jason Battaglia. A 50-goal scorer in junior, who potted 21 as a rookie pro with Hartford of the American Hockey League in 2023-24, Othmann was largely a disappointment at the NHL level with the Rangers.
So, yes, the 23-year-old was pleased when Rangers general manager Chris Drury called to inform him that he was headed out west.
“Getting that call on deadline day was super exciting. It’s not that I didn’t want to play for the Rangers. It’s that I just wanted a fresh opportunity, fresh eyes, and a fresh organization to look at me,” Othmann told reporters after the Flames called him up from Calgary of the AHL late last week.
Othmann scored one goal and totaled three points in 42 games spread over three seasons with the Rangers. When up in the NHL, he mostly played on the fourth line and didn’t receive the same top-six opportunities that, say, Gabe Perreault, did.
The rugged forward was among the first cuts from Rangers camp this past Fall, with coach Mike Sullivan providing a list of things Othmann needed to work on, mostly on the defensive side of the puck, before he’d be trusted in the NHL.
“I think with the Rangers and that organization, I just never got going, never got an opportunity I felt like,” Othmann stated. “They have a lot of high-end talent players at both left- and right-wing, so it’s kind of hard to crack my way into that lineup over the last few years. I thought it was time for a change, so kind of made the decision at the start of the year and the process went on, obviously, the whole season.”
Brennan Othmann ‘excited about fresh start’ with Flames after trade from Rangers
Othmann and his agent reportedly asked the Rangers to pursue a trade. Things didn’t get better, even after Othmann scored his first NHL goal on Jan. 17 against the Philadelphia Flyers. He had one goal and 11 penalty minutes in 17 games with the Rangers this season. However, he mostly played down at Hartford, where Othmann recorded 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 26 games.
Since the trade earlier in the month, Othmann had five assists in 10 games with the AHL Calgary Wranglers. He also failed to score a goal on 17 shots in that span.
It didn’t take him long to find his way on to the score sheet with the Flames. He picked up the primary assist on Adam Klapka’s power-play goal in a 7-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. It should be noted that the goal came in the final minute of the contest with Calgary already up by three.
Othmann logged 10:12 TOI in a bottom-six role in his Flames debut, recorded one shot on goal and two hits, and was on ice for Vancouver’s first goal late in the opening period which cut Calgary’s lead to 2-1 at the time.
“When you’re not solidified as an NHL player yet, every day is kind of like a tryout, so you want to perform at your best,” Othmann explained.
And he believes the best is yet to come.
“I know my NHL numbers don’t jump off the page right now. Like I said, maybe just a lack of opportunity and a little unlucky-ness, but I’ve put up some good numbers in junior and the American League level,” he said with confidence.
“Looking forward to being here. Excited about a fresh start, new opportunities, and happy to be back in Canada, playing in front of Canadian fans, Canadian crowds.”
