Once a promising prospect, Brennan Othmann is now struggling to produce at the AHL level. Othmann, 22, was the 16th overall pick in 2021, and the Rangers believed they had found a diamond in the rough. He was a big, strong kid who played with the kind of edge and physicality the Rangers’ lineup had long needed. He dominated every level of junior hockey, posting 97 points in 66 games with the Flint Firebirds of the OHL in 2021–22. His rapid rise made him the Rangers’ top prospect, and it appeared he could become the next big-time player for New York in the years ahead.
Fast forward to 2025, and Othmann is barely producing at a half-point-per-game pace for the Hartford Wolf Pack. He was recently recalled to the Rangers only to sit in the press box as a healthy scratch. So what happened?
Brennan Othmann hasn't shown his strengths which masked shortcomings as a player
Othmann was never an elite skater, and at the junior level he was able to mask that weakness because his physicality, shot, and offensive instincts were enough to dominate. But once he made the jump to professional hockey in the AHL and NHL, his skating issues became impossible to hide. You can see why it took him nearly three years to debut with the Rangers — he simply can’t keep pace with NHL speed. He struggles to stay involved in the play, has difficulty carrying the puck in transition, and often gets caught chasing from behind. This became painfully obvious last season when he received extended minutes late in the year. In 22 games with the Rangers, he produced just two assists and zero goals, failing to establish any offensive presence. Despite being moved up and down the lineup, he couldn’t secure consistent top-six minutes because his footspeed and puck transport weren’t NHL-caliber. His inability to win races, create separation, or drive play through the neutral zone has severely limited his effectiveness and raised serious questions about whether he can ever find a meaningful role in New York.
Where do the Rangers go from here?
So now that it appears Othmann is unlikely to become a top nine NHL forward, or perhaps even a full time NHL player, the question becomes: what can the Rangers realistically do with him? His development has stalled, his value has cratered, and at this point he has been, at best, a slightly above average AHL contributor. There may still be a team willing to take a flier on him for a late round draft pick, and that is a move the Rangers should strongly consider. It is time to rip the bandage off, accept the reality of the situation, and begin replenishing a very barren farm system.
The Rangers also cannot afford to repeat the same developmental mistakes with their current top prospect, Gabe Perreault. If he is part of their future, he needs legitimate top six minutes, power play usage, and room to grow at the NHL level. He cannot be limited to sporadic fourth line shifts or press box stints the way Othmann was. And if the organization does not truly envision Perreault in a scoring role, then they should consider trading him early, before his value declines the way Othmann’s did.
To be fair, Othmann’s skating limitations were always a concern, but the Rangers did not help him. He was never given a consistent role, sustained minutes, or the proper developmental runway to grow into an NHL player. Instead, he bounced around the lineup, moved constantly between Hartford and New York, and was often scratched rather than given the chance to learn through his mistakes. Only time will tell whether he can salvage his career elsewhere, but his time with the Rangers feels over before it ever truly began. At this point, the organization should cut its losses and take whatever value they can get.
So the real question is: do you still see any future for Brennan Othmann in New York, or is it finally time for the Rangers to move on?