On what turned out to be a quieter day before the NHL trade deadline, in which Chris Drury decided to hold onto coveted center Vincent Trocheck due to nobody meeting his asking price, the Rangers moved on from former 2021 first round pick Brennan Othmann by sending him to the Flames in exchange for 19-year old Jacob Battaglia.

It’s no surprise that the 23-year-old Othmann finally got dealt. Despite proving he could perform in the American Hockey League, he never could gain the trust of Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan in a supporting role. Even when he scored his first career NHL goal and had a stretch of better games, Othmann didn’t produce enough to offset the questions about his defensive awareness. Something that Sullivan reiterated when Othmann was sent back down to Hartford. It was a sign that he needed a change of scenery.

Now, Othmann will get it by going to Calgary. A rebuilding team that traded Nazem Kadri to the Avalanche after dealing away MacKenzie Weegar to the Mammoth last night, the Flames rank 31st in the league with 55 points, which has them tied with the Blues, who have two more regulation wins. The Rangers rank 29th with 56 points, but they have only 15 regulation wins, which is five fewer than the Flames. In other words, they could fall lower depending on what happens over the remaining 21 games.

For Othmann, he finished his Rangers career with one goal and two assists in 42 games. It never materialized under former coach Peter Laviolette or Sullivan, who didn’t seem to like him. Most alarming is that he preferred to play veteran Conor Sheary over the much younger Othmann on the third line. Even now with the team playing out the string, Sheary continues to receive time with Noah Laba and Tye Kartye in the top nine.

By acquiring Battaglia, the Rangers are hoping that he can fare better down the road. A 2024 second round pick, he now plays for the Flint Firebirds in the Ontario Hockey League. After putting up 40 goals and 50 assists for 90 points for the Kingston Frontenacs in 2024-25, he had 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points in 36 games before he was traded to the Firebirds for eight OHL Priority selection draft picks on Jan. 6.

In 22 games for Flint, Battaglia has 12 goals with four assists so far. In an irony, he now plays for Othmann’s former OHL team. Oddly enough, Rangers 2024 fifth round pick Nathan Aspinall leads the Firebirds in scoring with 83 points (29-54-83). They also picked up Jets prospect Kevin He (2024 fourth round). The Firebirds are hoping their recent acquisitions can push them towards a Western Conference Championship. They’re currently tied with the Windsor Spitfires in points (85). That trails only the first place Kitchener Rangers by seven.

For more on Battaglia, here’s what NYRLouie had to say about him on X:

Listed at six-foot-one, 203-pounds, Battaglia is a scoring winger who’s played some center in the OHL. Possessing a good shot, he isn’t the fastest skater. However, his ability to finish makes him an intriguing prospect. Already signed to an entry level contract, he’ll turn pro following the season. He celebrates his 20th birthday on Saint Patrick’s Day.

By adding Battaglia to Liam Greentree, who’s been on a tear since they acquired him from the Kings for Artemi Panarin, the Rangers look to have added two scoring forwards with potential. Greentree is the bigger prospect with 33 goals in 44 games for the Spitfires. At least, that’s some cause for excitement.

We’ll see what happens with Trocheck and Braden Schneider in the off-season. There will also be important discussions with stars Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin ahead. There’s so much we don’t know about the team’s plans. The roster could look very different this summer.