The New York Rangers held Vincent Trocheck, one of their top players, out of the lineup for a few games for roster management purposes, but they opted to hold on to him at the trade deadline. The move comes with risk, as his value is very high right now, and a decline in play would lead to a smaller return in a trade, but at least for the rest of this season, they are keeping him.
Instead, they made two deals as they traded Sam Carrick to the Buffalo Sabres for a third-round pick and a sixth-round pick and dealt Brennan Othmann to the Flames for prospect Jacob Battaglia.
The Carrick Trade
Ahead of the 2024-25 season, Rangers’ general manager Chris Drury signed Carrick to a three-year, $3 million deal. Signing the veteran defensive center was a low-risk move that paid off, as he played very well for New York last season. As expected, he was excellent on the penalty kill, noticeable on the forecheck, and reliable defensively.
Even though the team struggled, he played well, and he even set a career high in points with 20, finishing with six goals and 14 assists, while winning 54.2 percent of his faceoffs in 80 games.
This season, Carrick continued to provide excellent defensive play, won 53.9 percent of his faceoffs, and excelled on the penalty kill. He did not provide a lot of offense and had four goals and six assists in 60 games, but he did a lot of little things to help the team, whether it was blocking shots, setting the tone with big hits, or sticking up for teammates against bigger opponents.
Related: Liam Greentree: Everything to Know About the Rangers’ New Acquisition
While Carrick is a good fourth-line center, trading him now made sense since he is 34 and the Rangers are beginning to rebuild. Getting a third- and sixth-round pick back from the Sabres is a fair return in the deal, and this could work out very well for both teams.
The Carrick trade also means the Rangers now have two firsts, a second, and four thirds in the 2026 NHL draft. In the 2013 NHL Draft, New York had three third-round picks and selected Adam Tambellini, Pavel Buchnevich, and Anthony Duclair. While Tambellini never made it to the NHL, both Buchnevich and Duclair have had success in the NHL. Having four third-round picks certainly increases the odds of drafting a quality NHL player in the round.
The Othmann Trade
The Rangers drafted Othmann 16th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, and he had an excellent 2021-22 season with the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), finishing with 50 goals and 47 assists in 66 games. His numbers were not as impressive in 2022-23, but he won the OHL Championship with the Peterborough Petes. He continued to show promise in the American Hockey League (AHL) and had 21 goals and 28 assists in 67 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2023-24.
Though Othmann got a few chances with the Rangers in a bottom-six role during the last three seasons, he struggled offensively and had just one goal and two assists in 42 games in the NHL. He played with physicality and was noticeable on the forecheck, but simply did not produce offensively. He is still only 23 and will get a fresh start to secure a spot in the lineup with the Flames.
Battaglia, the prospect the Rangers received in the trade, was a second-round pick of the Flames in the 2024 NHL Draft and is 19 years old. He put up impressive numbers last season, finishing with 40 goals and 50 assists in 68 games with the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. This season, he has 26 goals and 17 assists in 59 games combined with the Frontenacs and the Flint Firebirds.
Though Battaglia’s numbers aren’t as impressive this season, he has a good shot and has shown quick hands in front of the net. The hope is that he can work to improve his skating and continue to produce offensively when he makes the jump to playing professionally. Othmann struggled when he got the chance to play for the Rangers, and Battaglia is more of an unknown, but he is younger and may have a higher ceiling.
The Rangers Need to Develop Their Young Players
The two trades the Rangers did make at this deadline resulted in them adding a prospect and two more draft picks. After struggling to get the most out of their prospects and typically playing their young forwards in bottom-six roles, they need to focus on developing their prospects, including Battaglia and the ones they will be adding in the draft this offseason.
