There is a lot that can be said about how the New York Rangers handle their first-round draft choices. At this point, there is probably more players that have crashed out of the NHL, or this organization's plans, than those that have actually made it.
Lias Andersson, Vitali Kravtsov, Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, K'Andre Miller, and now Brennan Othmann. All of those players were moved from the Rangers in one way or another.
Let's take a look at the most recent Rangers prospect to not make it in New York, and give him a grade for his efforts whilst he was here.
Expectations
Othmann made a lasting impression in 2024-25, with two assists and a +7 on the stat line in 22 games played. He showed signs of enduring the NHL-pace, and was on his way to earning some solid minutes.
But, it did not correlate to the 2025-26 season, in which new head coach Mike Sullivan chose to use Othmann more sparingly. From the get-go, the relationship between the 23-year-old prospect and the Blueshirts just never gelled.
Performance
The Rangers had a lackluster season, altogether. Othmann was just one of many players to not show up on a nightly basis, but the difference is that No. 78 had to show something to remain with this team.
Instead, after 17 games of action, Othmann was traded on March 6 to Calgary for prospect Jacob Battaglia. Othmann went on to play in two games for Calgary before the end of the season, and scored a goal and an assist in just 22 minutes of ice time.
Grade: D
Where do they go from here?
From here, Othmann is Calgary's problem. Or, he could be their blessing in disguise. Either way, he will go down in the Rangers history books as another failed high-expectation prospect, and the trend continues.
There is one minor thing to note here. Othmann joins another former Ranger to speak out about the upper-management and their handling. He spoke to Calgary's reporters at the exit interviews and opened up about his time with the team that drafted him with the 16th pick of the 2021 NHL draft. He said, "I never got a real chance."
42 NHL games is 42 chances, last I checked.
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