The New York Rangers are a team that may not be done yet this offseason as the 2026-2027 campaign continues to draw nearer. General manager Chris Drury is keeping his options open when it comes to potentially making further moves to bolster his squad before the summer concludes. It is no secret that the team wants to make an upgrade to their forward core; Drury could utilize his defensive assets in order to make that happen.
Braden Schneider’s Future With New York in Question
There have been a few players on this New York team with questionable future’s as management undergoes a retooling phase. One player who featured in trade rumors throughout last season was defenseman Braden Schneider. After talks that he could be moved, he received a one year contract extension this summer at a cap hit of $5.5 million.
Normally a contract extension puts to bed talk of player movement, Schneider’s case is different. The fact this wound up being such a short-term deal stands out. The Athletic’s Vincent Mercogliano discussed this point on the show: “Telling that the Rangers kept his…extension to only one year; They still like the player; may not add up to give a long-term contract to a defenseman who’s now No. 6 in the pecking order.”
Schneider had a solid 2025-2026 campaign on a Rangers team that struggled, recording two goals and 16 assists in 82 games. However, he has slid on the defensive depth chart heading into next season. Drury has revamped New York’s blueline over the summer, bringing in Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson to the fold. In addition to these newcomers, Schneider has to compete with Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov and Matthew Robertson for ice time on the back-end.
Bottom line, Schneider’s role on this Rangers team looks to be reduced as he will likely play third-pair minutes this season. The lack of term from the team on Schneider’s recent deal shows they are not fully committed to keeping him around for the long haul.
Rangers Could Use Schneider to Fix Lineup Hole
If a future Schneider trade is in the cards as the 24 year old heads into another contract year as an RFA, perhaps the Rangers could use him to plug their biggest hole in the lineup. If New York is to pull the trigger on making a move for a top-six forward, Schneider is a piece that would make sense to use in that potential deal.
Schneider may rank sixth on the Rangers defensive rotation, but he would feature higher on many other team’s defensive groups. Teams are always looking for reliable minute-munching blueliners to lean on. Considering his age, Schneider is a defenseman who still has plenty of room for growth as well.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Schneider and if Drury ends up moving him in a trade down the line. It is possible that New York still extends him on a long-term deal if he performs well enough this season, depending on how he stacks up with the rest of the back-end.
Rangers Could Move on from $5.5 Million Defenseman