Ducks Make Sense as Trade Partner for NY Rangers Defenseman

Which player from the New York Rangers makes sense for the Anaheim Ducks?

Oct 1, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; The San Jose Sharks logo at center ice commemorating the 35th anniversary season before a preseason game between the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center at San Jose. / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

As the New York Rangers prepare for the offseason, they will have a lot of big decisions to make this summer. 

Following their last-place finish in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers are coming into the offseason with high expectations. This is a team that has been able to create a ton of cap space for the summer and also has two first-round draft picks. 

The possibilities will be there for the team to improve, but how they choose to go about it will be interesting. Furthermore, while the team will be looking to add some talent, they also have a couple of very appealing trade chips. Center Vincent Trocheck is going to be arguably one of the top trade chips this summer, and he could bring the team back some valuable assets. 

Restricted free agent Braden Schneider is also going to be an option for the team to try to move, and his market could be strong as well. If the Rangers do look to move him as well, there should be a number of suitors. One team that figures to be in need of a defenseman is the Anaheim Ducks. 

Ducks Could Use Schneider

New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Anaheim is coming off a strong campaign in which they were able to defeat the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As a team that is looking to improve, the blue line will be an area of need. 

While the blue line had some talent for the team last year, led by Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas, and John Carlson, they are all free agents, and getting a younger player like Schneider to complement their young group up front makes sense. 

If the 24-year-old gets a long-term deal, that could look something like a six-year, $36 million deal based on projections. He is firmly a top-four caliber defenseman, but doesn’t bring a ton to the offensive end of the ice. 

For a team like the Ducks that had no problem putting the puck in the net, adding a player of the caliber of Schneider makes a lot of sense for their blue line. As they look to take the next step, improving defensively will be key. 

Overall, with the Rangers seemingly being willing to move him this summer, Anaheim makes a lot of sense as a potential trade partner. How New York looks to handle the Schneider contract situation this offseason will be one of the more interesting things to monitor.