NY Rangers Projected Contract Extension for Braden Schneider Revealed

The cost of a Braden Schneider projected contract with the New York Rangers has been revealed.

Mar 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) warms up before a game against the Winnipeg Jets at Madison Square Garden. / John Jones-Imagn Images

This offseason is going to be a very busy one for the New York Rangers, and one of the players who will be at the center of it is Braden Schneider.

Selected in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft, the Rangers have been exhibiting patience with Schneider. His floor is very solid, looking the part of someone who can be relied upon as a backend defenseman in the rotation.

Is the potential there for him to become a top-four piece? New York certainly hopes so, but evidence is mounting against Schneider that he will ever be able to reach that level. That is part of the reason projecting his next contract is so difficult.

A restricted free agent, he is two years away from hitting unrestricted free agency. If the two sides are going to work out a long-term deal, Harman Dayal of The Athletic (subscription required) has shared a contract projection of $6 million over six years.

Braden Schneider projected for solid contract extension

Jan 31, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) moves the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

$6 million AAV would be tied for the 66th highest-paid defenseman in the NHL, per Spotrac, with Sean Durzi of the Utah Mammoth, Michael Matheson of the Montreal Canadiens, Jonas Brodin of the Minnesota Wild and Martin Fehervary of the Washington Capitals.

Should a short-term deal be worked out, the projection is $4.1 million on a one-year pact.

It will certainly be interesting to see how things materialize during negotiations. Schneider doesn’t turn 25 years old until September and carries an elite draft pedigree as the No. 19 selection a few years ago.

However, he took on a bigger role for the Rangers during the 2025-26 season, and the results were mixed, especially when he had to move to the top line with Vladislav Gavrikov in place of Adam Fox.

Being called upon as the replacement and compared to someone as productive as Fox is a raw deal for Schneider. But, averaging 20:27 minutes per game in an expanded role led to a drop in his effectiveness on the ice.

As Dayal shared, Schneider drove 43.3% of expected goals when playing five-on-five this past season, which was the lowest mark amongst defensemen on the team. His puck play certainly needs work.

“One of the biggest weaknesses holding Schneider back from being a more impactful top-four driver is how limited his puck play is; he ranks in the bottom 10 percent of defensemen this season in almost every zone exit category, according to Corey Sznajder’s All Three Zones tracking data,” Dayal wrote.

He is certainly a serviceable player with some upside. But, with so many holes on the roster, flipping him for some assets might be the best course of action compared to working out a long-term contract.