Brennan Othmann Returns to Flames on One-Year Deal
Brennan Othmann is officially back with the Calgary Flames, signing a one-year, two-way contract that keeps the 23-year-old winger in the organization for the 2026-27 season.
The Flames announced the deal on September 18, listing an NHL-level average annual value of $975,000. Othmann had remained a restricted free agent after Calgary extended him a qualifying offer earlier this summer.
For Othmann, the new contract provides another opportunity to establish himself after a season that included a major change of scenery.
Calgary acquired the former first-round pick from the New York Rangers on March 6 in exchange for prospect Jacob Battaglia. Before the trade, Othmann had split the season between the Rangers and AHL Hartford Wolf Pack. After joining the Flames organization, he played 14 games with the Calgary Wranglers before getting a late-season opportunity in the NHL.
He made the most of that brief NHL look, recording a goal and an assist in two games with Calgary.
A former first-round pick still trying to establish himself
Othmann was selected 16th overall by the Rangers in the 2021 NHL Draft and arrived in professional hockey with a strong junior résumé. He won gold with Canada at both the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championships and helped the Peterborough Petes win the OHL championship in 2023.
His first full professional season also showed promise. Othmann recorded 49 points in 67 games with Hartford and earned a spot in the AHL All-Star Game.
His AHL production, however, hasn’t yet translated into a permanent NHL role. That’s what makes this season particularly interesting.
The contract itself doesn’t guarantee where Othmann will play. A two-way contract affects how a player is paid at the NHL and minor-league levels; it should not be confused with waiver status or treated as a guarantee of an NHL roster spot.
Instead, Othmann now has to make his case on the ice.
Brennan Othmann Gets His Next Opportunity With the Flames
Othmann is participating in Calgary’s training camp, and the Flames included him in their preseason lineup against Seattle on September 20.
That gives Calgary a chance to evaluate a player who is still young enough to have upside but now has several seasons of professional experience behind him.
The Flames already had a small glimpse of what Othmann could provide after acquiring him last season. Two NHL games obviously aren’t enough to establish a player’s role, but producing two points in those appearances was a positive introduction.
Now the question becomes whether he can turn that opportunity into something more permanent.
Othmann doesn’t need to justify his former first-round draft position overnight. He needs to show the Flames that he can help the organization—whether that begins with an NHL role or more time developing and producing with the Wranglers.
The contract question is settled. What Othmann does with the opportunity is now the more interesting story.
