2025 Rangers Season Previews: Braden Schneider

Of all the changes the New York Rangers have gone through in the last couple of seasons, one of the largest areas of concern comes on the back end. With the Rangers moving on from K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba, Braden Schneider now finds himself in the spotlight as a player that needs to emerge as a permanent part of the Rangers top-four defense. With a contract year coming up, the time has never been better for a guy the Rangers have held in high regard ever since trading up for him in the 2020 draft to have a true breakout season. 

Previous Performance

Schneider is a player that is going to be extremely difficult to judge from last year and predict for next because of the injury news that came out at the end of the season. In terms of offensive production, Schneider is actually coming off a career year with 21 points split across six goals and 15 assists. It’s worth noting he did this in 80 games played after playing in all but one game the two seasons prior, with that one missed game being a result of silly salary gap gymnastics. From that perspective, it’s good to know you can count on him for a full season, however the fact that he played as much as he did given the circumstances is baffling. 

Schneider went on to miss the final two games of this past season once the Rangers were mathematically eliminated due to a torn labrum that he suffered in the 2023 postseason. So for two years, Schneider has been suffering from and postponing a surgery for a torn labrum to continue to help the Rangers compete in their window of contention. It can’t be stressed enough: the Rangers and whoever else was involved with the decision for him to continue to play through an injury that required surgery failed this player. 

For that reason, along with the team’s overall performance, I take Schneider’s performance from last year with a grain of salt. He saw a ton of different defensive partners that included everyone from Adam Fox to Jacob Trouba and everyone in between. Of all the players who are still with the Rangers, Schneider really only saw extended time with Urho Vaakanainen, which did not seem to work in the slightest. I’m higher on Vaakanainen than most, and I do see Schneider as someone that’s capable of being a center piece of a second defense pairing. But together, it did not click at all. There is a chance that by default, they could be the third pair heading into the season. And, if that’s the case, you have to hope that their lack of chemistry last season had more to do with the team’s overall efforts than individual performance. 

Expectations

What can we expect from a fully healthy Braden Schneider?

Well, that’s the exciting part. Schneider may be coming off a rough season, but if he was able to do all that he has with half a shoulder, then there’s a real chance he could have a breakout season this year. Ever since he was drafted, Schneider has been looked at as a “mini-Trouba” type of player. While physicality is something he should continue to bring, if he can focus his game more on his offensive efforts, he could really help the Rangers out. Where he plays will definitely have an impact on what fans should expect from him but all signs point to him being an important player for the Rangers this coming season regardless of where in the lineup he plays. 

Schneider is one of the few Rangers defensemen the team seems comfortable playing on either side. A right-handed shot, Schneider is a natural right side defenseman, but actually got some run at the start of last season on the left side when Ryan Lindgren went down with an injury in preseason. By all accounts, Schneider did well in that role, but as we all know, the wheels quickly fell off the Rangers season by the time November rolled around. With Adam Fox and Will Borgen seemingly locked into the right side on the top two pairs, along with the addition of Scott Morrow via the K'Andre Miller trade, there is a chance that Schneider could start the season on the left side of the second pair with Borgen. That makes it all the more important for him to try and focus more of his game on the offensive side of play seeing as Borgen is more of a defensive minded player. 

In the event Morrow isn’t NHL ready and/or the Rangers want to try and rekindle some of Borgen’s chemistry with Carson Soucy, Schneider could remain stuck on that third pair which to start the season. This might not be a bad thing, especially considering that he is looking to bounce back from a significant surgery. However, that again leaves him with Vaakanainen unless Matthew Robertson has an otherworldly training camp and preseason. A Schneider/Morrow pair could be interesting but I’m unsure how interested the Rangers will be in putting a 24-year-old coming into the season with a new shoulder on his off hand with a rookie still trying to find his way in the league. 

Predictions

81 GP—8 G—18 A—26 PTS

As mentioned, making confident predictions about a player who has been nursing an injury for two seasons and is coming off a down year plus an end-of-season surgery isn’t easy. Nonetheless, Schneider is just about to turn 24 and is heading into a contract year. There’s a real chance he is just now entering his prime. If he can establish himself as the team’s best defenseman, outside of that top pair of Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, he can become a real important part of this Rangers team moving forward. 

The versatility to his game, specifically being able to play either side at a high level is going to play a huge part in his success with the Rangers moving forward. If Borgen is going to stay on that second pair, Schneider shifting permanently to the left side could be in everyone’s best interest. However with loads of uncertainty regarding the bottom half of the defense pairings, I wouldn't be shocked if Schneider at least starts the season back on that third pair.