Brennan Othmann, the Rangers’ 16th-overall pick in 2021, was traded from the Flint Firebirds to the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League on Saturday night. 

In exchange for their captain, the Firebirds acquired Artem Guryev, who was a 2021 fifth-round pick of the Sharks, and three priority selection picks. 

“We’re really excited to add one of the premier forwards in the OHL to our roster,” Peterborough’s general manager Michael Oke said in a team release. “We think he’s a great fit for our group, and we can’t wait for him to get started.” 

The trade made sense for both parties. Flint, which is 9-7-1 and ranked fourth in the Western Conference of the OHL, knew that Othmann would be away at the World Junior Championships for a month in December. Othmann will now join a contending team in the 10-5-1 Petes, who took on the Saginaw Spirit on Sunday, while the Firebirds were able to pick up the defenseman that they needed. 

The 19-year-old Othmann, who is second in the OHL in scoring with 11 goals and 13 assists in 16 games, took to Twitter to address the trade. He made a point to thank both fan bases, adding that he is proud to say he wore a Firebirds jersey, while also providing insight into why this was the right move for him. 

“I have two grandparents that are struggling with health issues and being closer to home to be [with] my family is what makes sense to me at the moment,” he wrote. “I hope fans can understand that.” 

Added Othmann: “I am thrilled [and] excited to start this new chapter. I hope I can make the fans as proud of me as I am to say I am a Pete’s. I am extremely thankful for all of your positive messages and posts. I am joining a team / [organization] full of history, passion and class.” 

Vitali Kravtsov was sidelined for a second straight game Sunday night in the 4-1 win over the Coyotes. 

After initially being diagnosed with a stomach bug, the Rangers and Kravtsov later realized the source of his illness was a tooth infection. 

“He had the flu [Saturday morning], came to the rink [Saturday] night and his teeth were really bothering him,” Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said. “So he spent the morning in the dentist chair. I haven’t heard since then.” 

Ryan Reaves served as a healthy scratch for the fourth time in the past five games, while Ryan Carpenter returned the lineup after being scratched in the previous two. Carpenter slotted back into his usual spot in the middle of the fourth line, which bumped Barclay Goodrow up to the right wing of the second line with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. As a result, Julien Gauthier slid down to the right wing of the fourth unit.