Rangers injury update: Braden Schneider won’t scrimmage to start camp
It looks like the New York Rangers will slow roll it with Braden Schneider, who enters training camp five months after shoulder surgery.
Rangers general manager Chris Drury explained that the 23-year-old defenseman will participate in practices, beginning Thursday, and is able to initiate and receive contact. However, Schneider will wear a no-contact jersey to begin camp as a precaution and won’t take part in scrimmages.
The plan is for Schneider to play two of the final three preseason games “unless there is a setback,” per Drury.
The hope is that Schneider will be completely ready for the start of the regular season. The Rangers drop the puck on their centennial season Oct. 7, when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden.
Schneider played the past two seasons with a torn labrum and missed the final two games of the 2024-25 campaign after the Rangers were eliminated from playoff contention. He surprised reporters when he showed up at breakup day with his right arm in a sling, having already had surgery.
“It’s something they said I could play with, I could go the rest of my playing career playing with it, but it puts me at risk for other things down the road in my life and it’d be tougher to deal with then,” Schneider explained in April. “So, it’s something I think had to be done and will help me down the road.”
Schneider prides himself on being a tough, physical defender. He admitted that he was somewhat compromised in that part of his game because of the shoulder issue.
So, perhaps Baby Trouba will reemerge as a physical force this season.
“A thing I take a lot of pride in is being a physical player and being able to bring that part of the game, and I feel that there were times where I’d aggravate it and there’d be a string of games where I wasn’t as physical as I wanted to be, and I was a little hesitant with it,” Schneider said at breakup day. “I think that’s more the reason I wanted to get it done so bad because I didn’t want to be dealing with that anymore.”
Related: How Rangers GM Chris Drury proved again he’s learned from past mistakes
Rangers taking precautions with Braden Schneider to begin training camp
Schneider recorded a career-high 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) last season. Included in that was his thrilling game-winning goal in overtime against the Minnesota Wild on March 13.
He also finished third on the Rangers with 146 hits. However, that total was 23 fewer than 2023-24, even though his average TOI was up two minutes, to 17:52, last season. It’d make sense that the shoulder injury affected his hit total.
After the four seasons playing primarily on the right side of the third pair, there’s a chance the Rangers move Schneider into the top four in 2025-26. That could necessitate a move to his off (left) side to pair with fellow right-shot Will Borgen. If that plays out, it would open up a third-pair opportunity for talented rookie Scott Morrow, who’s also a right-handed shooter.
Of the 22 defensemen on the Rangers training camp roster, eight are righties. So, any games Schneider doesn’t play in the preseason will offer opportunities for others. Morrow seems likely to get a long look in the preseason. And 6-foot-7 veteran Andrej Sustr, in camp on a PTO, could benefit from extra reps, as well.
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