Two days after being forced to play 11 forwards and seven defensemen due to illnesses preventing Gabe Perreault and Matt Rempe from playing at Nashville, the Rangers will have both players back in the lineup for tonight’s final game before the holiday break.

In an interesting development, Mike Sullivan will healthy scratch Conor Sheary when the Rangers challenge the Capitals in DC. After making the roster on a PTO, Sheary has played in 35 of the Rangers’ 38 games. He’s a solid checking player who’s been overused by Sullivan, who had him in the top six quite a bit for most of the first half. That’s despite Sheary only scoring one goal with eight assists for nine points.

If things don’t make sense, that’s because they don’t with the Rangers. A mediocre team that enters play with just one regulation win in their last 11 which came back on Dec. 4 over Ottawa, they’ve managed to go 5-4-2 over that stretch to hang around in the wild card race.

Despite being offensively challenged, with some of their games mind-numbing to watch like the pitiful effort in a 2-1 loss to the Predators, Sullivan continues to prioritize veterans over younger players who might be able to help them.

A good case in point is the continued treatment of Brennan Othmann. A 2021 first round pick, who was Chris Drury’s choice after he took over as team president and general manager, Othmann hasn’t had any success with the Rangers. He’s yet to score his first goal in 29 career games. However, similar to how Peter Laviolette handled him last season, Othmann continues to be buried on the fourth line.

After recording two assists in 22 games in 2024-25, here’s how it’s gone for Othmann:

Called up to play in Calgary on Oct. 26, Othmann has a rough game with a missed coverage leading to a Flames goal. Despite Noah Laba scoring the only goal in a 5-1 loss, Othmann finishes minus-1 in a season high 12:31.

The following game, he’s a healthy scratch against Vancouver in a game that the Rangers win 2-0. Othmann sits out for the remainder of the trip before it dawns on management to finally send him back down to Hartford.

With his confidence shaken, it takes a while for Othmann to find his game in the American Hockey League. Replacement Brett Berard gets into 11 games with the Rangers, playing mostly on the third line. Despite bringing good energy and grit, he fails to record a point. Eventually, the Rangers send Berard down and bring up Othmann.

On Dec. 18 versus the Blues, he receives 12 shifts all at even strength to log 7:14 in a 2-1 overtime win. He took a bad penalty in the offensive zone that the Rangers killed off.

Facing the Flyers two days later, Othmann stays on the fourth line with Sam Carrick and Rempe. Although he only plays 4:51 in 11 shifts, Othmann shows some character by defending himself against Flyers tough guy Nicolas Deslauriers, who hit him from behind. Not knowing who it was until he noticed the tattoos, Othmann absorbs some punches to lose the fight. However, he earns some respect from both teammates and Sullivan.

Playing for a third straight game with the Rangers visiting Nashville on Sunday, he plays with Laba and Taylor Raddysh on the third line. In a lackluster game where the team isn’t able to do much, Othmann puts together some strong shifts to create a couple of chances. He finishes with two shot attempts, a hit, and a block in 10:43.

Even in a game where he played better in a more defined role, it was a one-off for Othmann, who again finds himself on the fourth line for tonight. It doesn’t even matter if Sheary is sitting this one out. Othmann can’t seem to get a longer look on the third line, with Sullivan instead using Jonny Brodzinski and Raddysh next to Laba. A puzzling lineup decision that has fans questioning what the thinking is.

Questions linger about the decision-making from both Sullivan and the organization. Who’s calling the shots? Why can Sheary with his one goal play in the top six so much after spending last year with Syracuse in the AHL? Save the whole All In The Family narrative for another day. He’s out of the lineup, but a veteran [Raddysh] who’s fallen out of favor gets precedent over a 22-year-old prospect. It’s absurd.

It’s nice that Perreault is playing with Vincent Trocheck and Will Cuylle on the second line with J.T. Miller on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury. But the clock is ticking on Othmann, who will become a restricted free agent next summer. Isn’t it about time they give him a real opportunity to prove he belongs?

This is how the Rangers operate. The coaches change, but apparently not the philosophy. We saw Gerard Gallant treat 2017 first round pick Vitali Kravtsov like he committed war crimes. He failed to become anything in the NHL, with the Rangers dumping him on the Canucks for AHL fodder and a seventh round pick. They helped kill his value.

We know what didn’t happen with 2019 second overall pick Kaapo Kakko, who vented his frustration over how he was used by Laviolette, who couldn’t wait to get rid of him. Kaako was exiled to Seattle for Will Borgen, who Drury rushed to re-sign. Borgen has been a solid defensive defenseman, but he’s hardly going to move the needle.

Alexis Lafreniere remains an enigma. It’s hard to believe that he was a consensus number one overall pick in 2020. He doesn’t possess explosive skating or great hands. He was still handled poorly by Gallant before Laviolette gave him the keys to play with Trocheck and Artemi Panarin. Ever since he got paid last season, Lafreniere looks disinterested. He shows signs of the player he was in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he’s never consistent.

What is it about first round picks that lead to most of them failing with the Rangers? Is it the player development that includes plummers Jed Ortmeyer and Tanner Glass? Or is it that they rarely put these players in a position to succeed? It’s likely a combination of both.

When Drury doubled down by acquiring Miller last season for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a first round pick, he thought a broken core could still make the postseason. Instead, they sunk like the Titanic.

Even by subtracting Chris Kreider, Drury didn’t replace him on an aging roster that still depends heavily on Panarin and injured star defenseman Adam Fox. Ever since Fox went down, the power play has been an eyesore. The top unit never does anything. They’ve given up four shorthanded goals while failing miserably. The little used second unit has both of their goals. It doesn’t look like Fox will be ready for Dec. 27 versus the Islanders, when he first becomes eligible to be activated off long-term injured reserve.

In an Olympic season with a hectic schedule that doesn’t seem to be helping one of the oldest rosters as evidenced by their 0-6-1 record in the second game of back-to-backs, the Rangers need an injection of youth to help out. They rely way too much on Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Trocheck, who’s only scored once in six weeks. They won’t get back Miller for a while.

The lack of secondary scoring has really hurt them. Laba has nobody to play with. What’s preventing them from giving Othmann the chance to see if he can make a difference? It can’t be to be committed to Brodzinski or Raddysh or whoever Sullivan’s used.

The time is now for Othmann to play. It can’t be in a minimized role that hurts his value. Asset management isn’t an organizational strength under Drury, who can do no wrong under Jim Dolan. Has he even looked at the crowds at MSG lately? They’re not selling out. Fans are sick and tired of watching a boring product that isn’t worth close to what they’re charging for tickets.

Enough is enough.