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2020 NHL Draft: About the Braden Schneider pick

By Steve Paulus

CALGARY, AB - OCTOBER 8: Jake Bean #2 of the Calgary Hitmen loses the puck to Braden Schneider #2 of the Brandon Wheat Kings during a WHL game at the Scotiabank Saddledome on October 8, 2017 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images)
CALGARY, AB - OCTOBER 8: Jake Bean #2 of the Calgary Hitmen loses the puck to Braden Schneider #2 of the Brandon Wheat Kings during a WHL game at the Scotiabank Saddledome on October 8, 2017 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images) /
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With the 19th pick of the 2020 NHL Draft Braden Schneider from Brandon of the WHL is selected by the New York Rangers (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
With the 19th pick of the 2020 NHL Draft Braden Schneider from Brandon of the WHL is selected by the New York Rangers (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

The New York Rangers traded up to get a player they really wanted

When the New York Rangers traded a first and third round pick to move up in the draft, it was clear that they wanted a specific player.  That player was defenseman Braden Schneider.  While some experts had rated him very highly, the fact that the Blueshirts added another right-shot defenseman to a roster that already has too many  was a surprise to many.

The fact is, despite the mantra that teams always “draft the best available player,” in this case the Rangers were looking for a certain type of player.   They learned a lesson about their roster in their Stanley Cup Qualifier loss and they are on a mission to fix that.

What Gorton and Davidson said

Jeff Gorton was asked about trading up and why they picked Schneider.  He was clear in his answers. “When you make a trade like that, obviously we had him very high on our list.  He’s a player we’ve coveted for a while….we’ve seen him a lot, we know him a lot, he has high character.”

Gorton feels Schneider is the kind of player that successful play off teams need. “We watched the playoffs this year and we saw a lot of players like him that had success.  He’s very hard to play against, he can move a puck. He’s got good size. He has the high character and the leadership capabilities. You speak to him, he’s very mature, He knows his game, he understands exactly how he has to play. ”

“He’s very hard to play against, he can move a puck. He’s got good size. He has the high character and the leadership capabilities.”

It’s obvious that Alexis Lafrenière has many of the same qualities, but when presented with the opportunity to add that to the defense, they jumped at it.

Gorton said, “At the end of the day, when we moved up I think it says a lot of how we felt about Schneider. There was an opportunity going forward with our group,  his element was something that was a good blend of what we had already.”

John Davidson stressed the character issue, “…with Schneider, we’re getting a real high character individual, plays the game the right way. Just may sneak up on a lot of people with his offense. These are the types of pieces, when you look at you say, man, this is great.  We’re in a good spot.”

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