What’s next for Rangers after Braden Schneider files for salary arbitration
Braden Schneider filed for salary arbitration with the New York Rangers prior to Sunday’s NHL deadline, assuring that the 24-year-old defenseman cannot receive an offer sheet from any other team.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the filing a few hours before the 5 p.m. ET deadline, and the NHL Players Association confirmed that Schneider was one of 15 players who opted for arbitration.
New York extended a qualifying offer to the restricted free agent last week after Schneider completed the final season of a two-year contract that carried an average annual value of $2.2 million, per PuckPedia. He was the most prominent of five players to receive a qualifying offer from the Rangers.
Schneider played all 82 games for the Rangers last season, finishing with 18 points (two goals, 16 assists) and averaging a career-high 20:27 of ice time. He led the Rangers with 140 blocked shots and ranked third in hits (163).
He mainly played on the third defense pairing, but struggled over 27 games filling in on the top pair when Adam Fox was out with two extended injury absences. Schneider was on ice for more 5v5 goals-against (63) than any other Rangers player in 2025-26, and his expected goal share was 43.26 percent, according to PuckPedia, worst among all lineup regulars. New York allowed 100 more scoring chances than it generated (663-563) with Schneider on the ice 5v5.
The Rangers hope for better results from Schneider next season, and provided more cover in front of him when they acquired veterans Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson in separate trades last week to upgrade the second-pair.
Schneider has 87 points (20 goals, 67 assists) in 368 games during his five seasons in New York. His best offensive season came in 2024-25, when he had 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 80 games.
A first-round pick (No. 19) overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, the durable Schneider played all but three three games over the past four seasons, despite having a torn labrum for two of those years.
What’s next for Rangers after Braden Schneider files for salary arbitration
The Rangers have a handful of contract options with Schneider. They can go to arbitration and accept the decision, whether that be for a one-year deal or two years. However, most teams and players prefer not to go this route as it can get ugly and create acrimony between the sides.
They also could sign him before the arbitration hearing, which likely will be scheduled for some time in August. That could be to a one-year contract for 2026-27, a bridge contract that would carry him to unrestricted free agency in 2028, or a longer-term contract that buys out one or more UFA years.
If the Rangers go this route, it’ll be interesting how much money and term they invest in Schneider. He’s been a regular on their blue line since his first call-up in 2021-22; but Schneider’s also been somewhat of an overall disappointment, and it’s in question whether he’s viewed as a true core player for the long term.
As such, the Rangers other option is to trade Schneider this summer. A young, sturdy right-shot defenseman with upside is a valuable commodity in the NHL, so trading Schneider for a decent return is not far-fetched. But after already trading away defenseman Will Borgen to the Boston Bruins, and with most teams largely settled with their player personnel after a flurry of moves in the League the past two weeks, a trade appears less likely now than it did earlier in the offseason.
Rangers general manager Chris Drury evaded a direct question about the possibility of the Rangers trading Schneider during a Zoom call with reporters last week.
“We think Braden is a really good young talented defenseman,” Drury stated. “We drafted him, developed him, we like the skill set and what he does for us. I know he, along with us, are just trying to do everything we can to be better and help him be better, but he’s an exciting player and a terrific all-around high character person in our organization.”
Odds are that Schneider and the Rangers reach a contract agreement ahead of arbitration and he wears the Blueshirt at least to begin next season.
