New York Rangers fans will get an up close view of Braden Schneider tonight at WJC
Braden Schneider is one of Team Canada’s top defenseman. He also happens to be the player the New York Rangers traded up for in the first round of the 2020 draft.
Braden Schneider in action tonight against Germany
Team Canada will open up play against Team Germany. The game will be broadcast on NHL Network at at 6PM ET. For many New York Rangers fans it will be the first opportunity to see Braden Schneider up close and in action.
At 6-2 and 210 pounds, the kid plays with a mean streak. The Rangers tried moving up several times to select Schneider and were beyond thrilled when they called out his name.
In 185 career WHL games over parts of the last four seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings, he scored 16 goals and 72 assists for 88 points, along with a plus-32 rating and 84 penalty minutes.
Rangers move up to block Devils from drafting Schneider
Devils general manager, Tom Fitzgerald is claiming the Rangers trading up to 19 to take Braden Schneider did not alter their plans. NJ then went about 8-10 spots off the board to select rearguard, Shakir Mukhamadullin.
It’s almost as if the Fitzgerald wants people to conveniently forget that Lindy Ruff just left the organization. It’s almost as if the Devils want to pretend that they didn’t hire him just before the playoffs started.
During the pause when the team was talking with prospects in preparation, you think Ruff didn’t know about Schneider late in the first round? Or that maybe he knew the Rangers were targeting him first and thus wanted to take him? If you do, I have the deed to a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
Understanding the pick of Braden Schneider
At first, the move was a bit puzzling due to the Rangers needing centers. However, Schneider is projected to be a top four defenseman in two to three years. In the cap era, the Rangers need to be able to bring in top level talent at cost control.
The Rangers have a few key prospects coming in that are left handed in K’Andre Miller, Tarmo Reunanen, and Zac Jones. Of course, there’s no guarantees they will all make it. Schneider simply makes sense.
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