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Rangers defenseman plans to ‘keep pushing’ despite trade rumors, lost season
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- Rangers defenseman plans to ‘keep pushing’ despite trade rumors, lost season
Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Depending on your viewpoint, Braden Schneider is either a core member of the New York Rangers now and into the future, or an important chip to move ahead of the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline as part of the stated organizational retool.
Of course, what we don't know is how general manager Chris Drury views the 24-year-old defenseman nor which option he deems best for the Rangers . But what we do know is that Schneider plans to lower his head and keep grinding, no matter the trade rumors nor terribly disappointing season for the Rangers (22-29-6), who are last in the Eastern Conference and 30th out of 32 teams overall in the NHL standings .
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"I think the goal is to keep pushing," Schneider said this week after the Rangers resumed practicing following a nearly two-week break during the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. "Obviously, the picture probably isn't looking so great for us. I think at this point we're just making sure we're doing everything we can. I think we have a lot of home games, and I think getting wins at home and doing that for the fans is massive. Keep pushing."
In his fifth NHL season, Schneider's second on the Rangers, logging just over 981 minutes of ice time. That's due mainly to stud defenseman Adam Fox missing all but 30 games with, first, an upper-body injury in December, and then a lower-body injury in January. Schneider bumped up from the third defense pair to the top pairing with Vladislav Gavrikov , and his average TOI is a career-high 20:19.
However, it's been a largely uneven and disappointing season so far for Schneider. His expected goal share 5v5 is an unsightly 43.68 percent, per Natural Stat Trick . He's been on ice for 48 goals-against 5v5 and just 30 goals-for. And even with more opportunity on the power play earlier this season, Schneider has just two goals and 11 points in 57 games.
Set to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this offseason, Schneider's future with the Rangers is uncertain. Many see him as a young, right-shot, physical defenseman that should be part of the Rangers for years to come. Others see too many similarities to K'Andre Miller, who was also a first-round pick that ultimately fell short of expectations, deemed expendable, and traded last summer to the Carolina Hurricanes before he was due a significant pay raise.
The break in the schedule this month was welcomed by Schneider.
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"Just getting off the ice is nice. And to be able to kind of relax and reflect on the year a little bit, it definitely helps to recharge batteries," he said.
It's also a lift to have Fox and another injured star, No. 1 goalie Igor Shesterkin , practicing in full again. Each could be be back in the Rangers lineup when they host the Philadelphia Flyers next Thursday. The Rangers play 25 games in 49 days to close out the 2025-26 season.
"It's a boost, for sure. They're obviously two of our best players, and to have them around and playing again is exciting, for sure," Schneider noted.
The NHL roster freeze lifts at midnight Sunday, providing teams 12 days to make trades ahead of the March 6 deadline. The Rangers already moved two veterans since announcing a retool plan. Artemi Panarin was shipped to the Los Angeles Kings right before the break; and the Rangers traded Carson Soucy to the Islanders before that.
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More moves are coming. But will Schneider be part of the exodus, or stay to be part of the solution on Broadway?
"We're all pros here. We all want to be the best version of ourselves for our teammates, and I think that's the goal, to make sure everyone's putting their best foot forward."
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