Head Coach Tom Renney reflected upon the "HMO Line", saying, "They were high-octane energy and in your face and just played hard two-way Hockey." Ortmeyer also played on the Rangers' penalty kill unit. During the 2006 off-season, the "HMO Line" was broken up when Dominic Moore was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. During that same off-season, Ortmeyer was sidelined indefinitely on August 14, 2006, after he was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism. On January 2, 2007, Ortmeyer returned to the Rangers line-up after a conditioning stint with the Wolf Pack, playing 5:35 over 9 shifts. On January 13, in his sixth game since returning, he scored on a shorthanded penalty shot against the Boston Bruins to assure a 3–1 Rangers victory. On January 29, 2007, Ortmeyer posted 3 assists and was named the first star in another game against the Bruins in Boston. Having made a full recovery, Ortmeyer was, by the vote of Rangers fans, awarded the 2006-07 season Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, as "the player that goes above and beyond the call of duty." Ortmeyer previously won the award for the 2003-04 season. He was also the Rangers' 2007 nominee to win the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his dedication to the game, evident in his comeback. Becoming a free agent in the 2007 off-season, Ortmeyer signed a two-year contract with the Nashville Predators on July 2. Playing in his first season with the Predators, Ortmeyer tore his ACL for the second time in his career on February 23, 2008, and missed the remainder of the 2007–08 season. He had surgery to repair his knee, but due to inactivity from the surgery he suffered from blood clots in the leg and missed the first two months of the 2008–09 season. On December 3, 2008, Ortmeyer was placed on waivers by the Predators. After clearing, he was assigned to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Ortmeyer signed a one-year deal with the San Jose Sharks on July 16, 2009. On September 27, 2010, Ortmeyer accepted an invitation to the New York Islanders training camp on a Professional Tryout (PTO). He was released on October 3. He then played on PTOs with the San Antonio Rampage and Houston Aeros of the AHL before signing with the NHL's Minnesota Wild on January 4, 2011. The next day, the Wild assigned him to the Aeros, their AHL affiliate. Ortmeyer spent the