New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider is a treasure to the franchise. With his young and agile build, Schneider is looked upon to be a key contributor. He has been haunted by an injury for the last couple of seasons, but swallows the pain and still is there for his team as much as he can withstand. Hopefully, with the added time to the summer break, he can do his physical therapy and recover to be the best defenseman he can be.
Expectations
Schneider is a force to be reckoned with. After being selected 19th overall back in 2020, New York knew Schneider came to play. After all, he is one of the youngest players on the team. The intention of bringing Schneider onto the roster was for him to become a strong defenseman and add more strength to the defensive unit, which was desperately needed. The young, swift energy is exactly what the Rangers needed to add to the team, and Schneider provided that. Schneider’s goal, as said by the team, was to have more time on the ice. His performance was highly evaluated after former captain Jacob Trouba was traded. The fans and the team needed to see confidence in the defense after a loss of leadership. Schneider hoped to fill such a big spot on the team. He has been dealing with a labrum tear injury for a couple of seasons, and the fact that he just took the pain as a motivator to keep playing shows what type of hockey player he is. He is a determined player.
FIRST NHL GAME.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 14, 2022
FIRST NHL GOAL.
BRADEN SCHNEIDER. REMEMBER THE NAME. pic.twitter.com/CGGITEZqL4
Performance
His performance this season was similar to the previous 2023-24 season. He played in 80 games during the season with his labrum injury. Schneider still pushed through the pain and was there to defend his team.
"There were times where it would hurt and it would be tougher than other days."Braden Schneider
Comparing last season to this one in terms of goals and assists, Schneider had five goals and 24 assists last season and only six goals and 15 assists this season. Schneider had 146 hits, which puts his ranking at 17th in the league. He had the 3rd most hits for the Rangers behind teammates Will Cuylle and Vincent Trocheck. From the Rangers' expectations of wanting him to have more ice time, he succeeded in that goal with his time on ice per game increasing from an average of 15:53 to 17:52. That’s certainly a significant increase in ice time.
There is always room for improvement in anything, but especially hockey. Schneider was set back with an injury, so perhaps if that didn’t happen, the grade would be better, but still he played with an ongoing injury and still did what the Rangers intended him to do.
Where They Go From Here
During the off-season, Schneider will be recovering from labrum surgery. If he can get completely healed and regain full mobility to perform at the highest level, his grade could be very different next season. His impact could be much bolder, and his proficiency would increase. The Rangers need him to heal and become the highest potential player they know he can be. However, the off-season is longer this year since the Rangers didn’t make the playoffs, which will give Schneider the extra time he needs to recover. It’s a blessing in disguise for Schneider to become healthy again. The following season with Schneider fully healed could be a game-changer for their defensive game and in the end could help make the Rangers a top-seeded team again.
"It’s more something that I wanted to get done to make sure that I’m better for next year and the rest of my time."Braden Schneider
braden schneider, you 🫵🏾 are the new york ranger pic.twitter.com/P5BsGRtoZ6
— teenah! ౨ৎ (@cupidhughes) February 6, 2024