The New York Rangers haven't had the rebound season that fans and experts alike anticipated this early into the 2025-26 season. So far this season, the Rangers are 4-5-2 through their first 11 games. Some of their notable, concerning losses were against some of the worst teams in hockey in the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames.
If the Rangers' struggles continue, the trade buzz is only going to increase. Artemi Panarin is already receiving some buzz, as he's set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. One of their younger players in Brennan Othmann has garnered interest from other teams. Now, there is another young star earning trade buzz.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period revealed that teams have reached out to the Rangers about defenseman Braden Schneider's availability.
Rangers reportedly received trade calls about Braden Schneider
"Blueliner Braden Schneider has also seen his name tossed around in trade gossip, as teams have inquired about his availability. Drury has been reluctant to explore a move in the past, but with the 24-year-old eligible to become a restricted free agent next July, with arbitration rights, could the Rangers consider a move this season?"
This isn't the first time that the Rangers have received interest from teams about Schneider. Last season, the Vancouver Canucks notably wanted Schneider in initial trade talks for J.T. Miller. Drury had no desire to include Schneider in the trade talks with the Canucks. Ultimately, Drury traded away Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a 2025 first-round pick for Miller.
Considering the Rangers had no desire to move on from Schneider before, one has to wonder if their thinking has changed recently.
This seems like an entirely different situation than the Othmann trade calls. The Rangers received interest from Othmann, as his role on the team seemingly disappeared after being an early training camp cut this summer. Othmann has since been called up by the Rangers recently. He played in the team's 5-1 loss to the Flames, but was scratched for this past Tuesday's game against the Vancouver Canucks.
Schneider has been a consistent presence on the Rangers. He was drafted by the team back in 2020 and received a relatively quick call-up in early 2022. Perhaps most impressively, he hasn't missed much time since being promoted to the NHL. Just last season, Schneider set a career-high goals (six), assists (15), and points (21).
This season, Schneider has mostly been a third pairing defenseman alongside Urho Vaakanainen. Through 11 games, Schneider notched just two assists and boasts a -5 plus/minus ratio. The thing is, Vaakanainen hasn't exactly been that great to start the year.
This is the situation the Rangers are in. If they continue to lose, they will start getting calls from other teams trying to acquire either their top stars or their young players with potential. That talk will eventually quiet down if the Rangers are able to improve their game, and stack some wins. Luckily for the Rangers, there is still plenty of time left for them to turn things around.