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Why Rangers defenseman believes preseason debut ‘went well’ after surgery
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- Why Rangers defenseman believes preseason debut ‘went well’ after surgery
Dennis Schneidler-Imagn ImagesDennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
The New York Rangers finally got to see defenseman Braden Schneider in action Tuesday night during a 3-2 overtime preseason victory against the New York Islanders . And they were plenty happy with the results.
Schneider had surgery on April 17 to repair a torn labrum that hampered his play for much of the past two seasons. The Rangers held him out of training camp scrimmages and the first three preseason games as a precaution.
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In his first game of any kind since April 12, though, Schneider often looked like the impact defender the Rangers need him to be this season.
“Definitely feeling a bit tired,” he said Tuesday after practice. “It was a hard game. They had their full lineup pretty much, and to get back in the flow of things was pretty exciting. It was nerve-wracking a little bit, but I think the game went well.
Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
“I think it being (my) first preseason game and first game in a while, there were still some things, some decisions to be a bit quicker on and a bit sharper on. But all in all, I was happy the way the game went. I’m working back into that quick reaction, quick hockey decisions kind of thing, but other than that, physically I feel great.”
Coach Mike Sullivan threw Schneider right into the fire. He played 27 shifts, saw 22:51 of ice time,
tied for the team lead with four hits and had an assist on Noah Laba’s overtime goal
.
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Why Braden Schneider is happy with play in return from surgery
The 24-year-old made his mark during the past four seasons as a physical defenseman who can affect a game with open-ice hits and strong play along the boards, while chipping in offensively.
He showed that brand of hockey against the Islanders, who dressed almost all of their expected opening-night roster. He was credited with his first hit, against Islanders forward Jonathan Drouin , just 6:09 into the game. Schneider also took a solid bump from Bo Horvat 20 seconds later, when he pinched to keep a puck in the offensive zone.
It was a good test for his surgically-repaired shoulder. One that Schneider aced with no issues.
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Contact is par for the course, as Schenider’s amassed 520 hits in 286 games during four seasons with the Rangers. He also blocked a pair of Alexander Romanov shots. One came at the end of the first period, the other 36 seconds into the second.
Overall, Schneider looked comfortable on the ice. There were no glaring mistakes in a preseason game that had some juice to it. He’s eager to get back on the ice when they finish their preseason schedule with games at home against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday and up in Boston against the Bruins on Saturday.
“There’s still a couple more [preseason games], so it was a good start,” he said. “Good to get back in the swing of things.”
There’s still the question of where Schneider will play when the season starts, but Sullivan was happy with what he saw against the Islanders.
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“I thought he played hard,” the coach said Tuesday. “I talked to him on the ice a little bit before we started the formal practice, just checking in to see how he felt. He said he felt like the game was going on pretty fast around him, but I think that’s a natural occurrence when a player hasn’t played a game in a long time.”
Sullivan said more playing time will help Schneider get reaccustomed to the speed of the game.
“That will slow down for him as the more game-real situations he gets in,” he said. “He’s got to knock off some of the rust as far as his execution with the puck, things of that nature — the decisions, knowing what he’s going to do with it before he gets it cuts down on his execution time. But that will come, and that’s what I said to him.
“I said with every day that you play, with each game that you play, the game’s going to slow down for you in your mind and you’re going to be able to execute. That’s just the process.”
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Schneider spent most of Monday paired with Urho Vaakanainen ; the two were often partnered by former coach Peter Laviolette last season after the Rangers obtained the Finnish defenseman from the Anaheim Ducks in the Jacob Trouba trade on Dec. 6.
Though Sullivan admitted Monday that, “If we were to rank our defenseman top to bottom, we believe that ‘Schneids’ is amongst the top four,” he also said “that doesn’t mean he has to play in the top four.”
The 2021 first-round pick, a right-hand shot who can play either side, said he hasn’t discussed his role with Sullivan, who took over after Laviolette was fired following last season’s disappointment.
“No, I haven’t, honestly,” he said. “Whatever happens, happens. If it arises, that’s good, and if it doesn’t, that’s good too. Whatever happens, I’m happy to do whatever is best for the team.”
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Schneider averaged a career-high 17:52 of ice time last season, finishing with career highs in goals (six), assists (15) and points (21). He was plus-9, matching his career-best set in 2022-23. He’s played a team-high 243 games on the blue line in the past three seasons, and his average TOI has steadily climbed.
Adam Fox and newcomer Vladislav Gavrikov are the unquestioned first pair, but the bottom two duos are still up in the air. The good news for the Rangers is that Schneider is healthy, and will be a regular contributor — no matter where he plays.
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