The New York Rangers have shown some fight with an overtime loss and a shootout victory in their first two games after the Olympic break, but they are still in last place in the Eastern Conference and well out of playoff contention. They should be giving their young prospects lots of playing time, and while that has been the case with some of them, they sent 23-year-old 2021 first-round pick Brennan Othmann to the American Hockey League (AHL) and have continued to play veteran forward Conor Sheary.
Othmann Has Struggled but Has Potential
The Rangers drafted Othmann in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft, and after having success in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), he had a strong season with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL in 2023-24. He finished with 21 goals and 28 assists in 67 games and even earned a call-up to New York, but he was held without a point in three games.
Last season, Othmann got an extended chance to play for the Rangers, and though he was responsible defensively and played with physicality, he did not produce offensively. He primarily played on New York’s third and fourth lines and had no goals and two assists in 22 games, but was plus-7.
Othmann’s offensive struggles have carried into this season, and though he did score his first NHL goal, it has been his only point in 17 games. He has been responsible defensively and played with physicality as a bottom-six winger, but his struggles to score have resulted in him bouncing back and forth between the AHL and NHL. He was sent back down to the AHL on Feb. 27, while Sheary has remained in the lineup.
Though Othmann has yet to prove he belongs in the NHL, with the team well out of contention, it doesn’t hurt to continue giving him opportunities. He has been solid defensively, noticeable on the forecheck, and willing to go to the front of the net.
Sheary Has Struggled and Does Not Have the Upside of Younger Prospects
Sheary has a history with Rangers’ head coach Mike Sullivan and won the Cup twice with him while they were both with the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, the 33-year-old struggled the last few seasons and finished with four goals and 11 assists in 57 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023-24 and played just five games with them last season. He ended up spending most of last season with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.
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This season, Sheary has stayed in the Rangers’ lineup consistently, but he has just one goal and eight assists in 39 games despite averaging 14:32 in ice time per game. At 5-foot-8, he does not throw many hits, and though he is usually responsible defensively, he has done very little offensively and does not have the upside of the team’s younger forwards. He also does not bring the physicality that would be ideal for a fourth liner.
Like many of the Rangers’ younger forwards, Sheary has failed to produce offensively and has made some defensive mistakes that have cost the team late in close games. However, unlike forwards like Othmann and 23-year-old Brett Berard, he has been given chance after chance regardless of his performance on the ice.
While Sheary is not the reason the Rangers are in last place, he has done very little to contribute this season, and it is alarming that he continues to get ice time over some of the team’s prospects.
The Rangers Should Move on From Sheary and Play Their Prospects
It does not make sense for the Rangers to continue to give Sheary playing time. They are nowhere near making the playoffs, so their focus should be on developing and building for the future, which means giving prospects like Othmann opportunities, even when they struggle.
