NY Rangers' Braden Schneider Won't Live Up to Contract Value

Did the New York Rangers overpay Braden Schneider?

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) skates against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers have had a very successful offseason overall after a bad campaign. However, while they have been busy, not everything has been addressed for the team. 

Following a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers were expected to be a very busy team this summer. That has certainly been the case with New York making a ton of trades and a couple of signings in free agency as well. 

The Rangers had a plethora of needs to address after a bad season, and the team looks a lot better on paper. Now, whether or not that will be enough to get them into the playoffs remains to be seen. However, they should certainly be improved. 

While some of the moves that the team was expected to make did come true, like the trading of Vincent Trocheck, they didn’t move all of the players that they were expected to. One of those players was 24-year-old defenseman Braden Schneider.

Harman Dyal of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about the worst value contracts in the league last year, and Schneider was one of the choices for the Rangers. 

Schneider Underperformed

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) skates against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

New York certainly had some high hopes for Schneider going into last season, but he ultimately had a tough campaign. With Adam Fox missing some time, the young defenseman was forced onto the first-pair, where he struggled. 

Furthermore, while he certainly didn’t have success on the top-pair, he didn’t do very well on the second-pair either. Even though he was only making $2.2 million last year, his production on the ice was not impressive. 

This summer, there was an expectation that the team was going to be trading him, with the desire to add a top nine forward in return. However, that has yet to happen, and to avoid salary arbitration, they signed him to a one-year, $5.5 million deal. 

Based on his poor production last season, this certainly seems like an overpay for the Rangers right now. However, with him likely to be the third-pair defenseman on the right side, he could find some more success in that role. 

New York might have simply asked too much of him last year, and the team will be hoping that, at still just 24 years old, he will be able to improve. However, it still wouldn’t be surprising if they elect to move him this summer.