Throughout the perpetual exchange of personnel between the New York Rangers and Hartford Wolf Pack, Braden Schneider has separated himself from the pack in proving his abilities as a sound third pair defenseman.
The 19th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft was the selection that iced the Rangers as the unanimous winners of the draft. Schneider was John Davidson’s and Jeff Gorton’s coveted target after executing a swap of the No. 22 and No. 72 picks with Calgary to grab the right defenseman.
Schneider has three points in his first 10 games on the big stage—his one goal coming in his professional debut in San Jose on January 13. The goal was a testament to what the 6’2” prospect brings to the fold. Schneider jumped into the play, caught a pass from below the goal line and wired a lightning-quick release over the goaltender’s glove.
First NHL game: ✅
— NHL (@NHL) January 14, 2022
First NHL goal: ✅
A moment Braden Schneider will never forget. pic.twitter.com/dZlmuOHgts
The confidence not only on this play, but the entire 14:49 he spent on the ice—and his following nine games for that matter—was conspicuous. Schneider is displaying poise against a range of opponents in high-pressure situations. He’s skating confidently through all three zones and wields sharp puck instincts. This may be a premature statement, but the last time a Rangers rookie defenseman was noted for those attributes this early was Ryan McDonagh.
What might be Schneider’s most effective intangible is his physicality, which has been lacking in the Rangers defensive core. He uses both his size and his skating and enforces himself in corners, one-on-one’s, and isn’t afraid to step up on a skater rushing the zone to force a turnover.
He also has the makings for yet another solid power play asset the Rangers can deploy down the line. What makes this particularly valuable is that Schneider has the size and the two-way game. Aside from Jacob Trouba, many of the options the Rangers have with this potential are smaller and evasive defenseman, such as Nils Lundkvist and Zac Jones.
Who to trade?
Of course, this now creates some bargaining freedom for Chris Drury as he holds several chips he can use at the deadline. The only question is which one? Well, unless the price is right, it shouldn’t be Schneider. While his potential has emerged the quickest, which makes him a sexier target for trade recipients, the Rangers need to value their diversity in their defensive depth. Schneider brings a game that can fit into the Rangers’ picture, while a Lundkvist or Jones may not have a place in an Adam Fox world.
Either way, it’s more likely than not that one of these players should be a piece in exchange for the top six forward acquisition that the Rangers are yearning for. Jeff Gorton stockpiled so much capital, the Rangers now need something to do with all of it and I’m sure Drury isn’t complaining.
In a full-health Rangers lineup, Schneider has earned his place to remain on the third pair. While he and Patrik Nemeth have proven to be the best duo for the role right now, Drury should look for another experienced stay-at-home defenseman to plug along side Schneider for the playoffs. If a legitimate upgrade is made there, the Rangers would have a dynamic one-two shut down punch at the end of their bench.