2026-27 Season is Make-or-Break for NY Rangers' Braden Schneider

Will Braden Schneider be able to bounce back for the New York Rangers next year?

Apr 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) warms up before the first period against the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers will be getting set for the upcoming season, and with expectations to be better, they will need some players to step up. 

Coming off a year to forget, the Rangers will be hoping to be much-improved following a busy summer. New York was aggressive in their pursuit of improvements, and this is a team that is retooling and not rebuilding despite finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference. 

Over the summer, some of the notable additions for the team included Pavel Dorofeyev, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Sean Durzi, and Marcus Pettersson. As expected with one of the worst records in the league, there were multiple areas that the team needed to improve. 

Including the NHL Draft, there was a clear focus on improving their blueline, and that started with Alberts Smits being taken with the fifth overall pick. While the first pair was good for the Rangers last year, the depth of the blueline was not good, and one of the players who was a disappointment was Braden Schneider. 

While he was forced into a bigger role with the injury to Adam Fox, the 24-year-old did not have a good season, and the team will need more from him. 

Schneider Facing Make-or-Break Year

Apr 2, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) controls the puck in the second period against the MontrŽal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As a restricted free agent this offseason, Schneider was a name mentioned on the trade block quite a bit this summer. However, coming off a subpar season, no deal has ultimately happened yet. New York was seeking a top nine player for him if they were going to move him, but so far nothing has been done. 

Furthermore, after not trading him, the Rangers also then had to make a decision regarding his contract. In order to avoid arbitration, New York and Schneider agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million deal. This certainly felt like a bit much for the young defenseman, but time will tell. 

What could really help Schneider is that with the new additions to the blueline, he is going to be on the third pair and should be set up for success there. With this being his role, there won’t be any excuses not to perform. 

As a former first-round pick of New York, they are certainly going to be hoping that he starts to live up to expectations. If he struggles once again, the rumblings of perhaps moving on from him will only increase, and it would likely be time for a change of scenery.