NY Rangers Restricted Free Agent Filing for Arbitration

The New York Rangers are going to arbitration with one of their young players.

Mar 8, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) gets in position for a faceoff in the first period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This offseason has already been a very busy one for the New York Rangers, who have overhauled their NHL roster, organizational depth chart and pipeline.

It started with the 2026 NHL Draft, where nine selections were made. The team also made a blockbuster trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev in exchange for three draft picks: Nos. 26 and 92 in the 2026 NHL Draft and a 2028 first-round pick that is top-10 protected.

Even more deals were made in free agency, with the Rangers acquiring defenseman Marcus Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks and goalie Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins. Alas, they are far from done.

Their next order of business will be figuring out what to do with defenseman Braden Schneider. His long-term future with the franchise is up in the air, but he has made the decision to file for arbitration, per Elliotte Friedman on X.

Braden Schneider files for arbitration

Mar 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) warms up before the first period against the Edmonton Oilers at Madison Square Garden. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, No. 19 overall, he has been a regular part of New York’s lineup for years. The team extended a qualifying offer to him, retaining his negotiating rights. That qualifying offer is worth $2,640,000, and the teams will negotiate either a one- or two-year deal.

The deadline for a player to head to arbitration is July 5 at 7 pm ET, but filing also means that a player can no longer sign an offer sheet with another team.

If Schneider agrees to a bridge deal with the Rangers, he is expected to land a contract that pays somewhere between $2.5 and $4 million annually. A long-term deal is expected to carry an annual average of $6 million over six years.

It will be interesting to see how things unfold for Schneider. He is someone the franchise is very high on, but his future with the franchise remains up in the air. Especially after the team revamped the defensive depth chart.

Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov are an elite duo atop the depth chart. There were weaknesses behind those two, as the blueliners fell apart when Fox was sidelined by injury, and Schneider was pressed into a more prominent role.

Looking to avoid that occurring again, the team added Pettersson in a deal from the Canucks and also acquired Chris Durzi from the Utah Mammoth as part of the return package for Vincent Trocheck.

The No. 5 overall pick was used on left-handed defenseman Albert Smits, the first of five lefty blueliners the team selected.

To clear room for all the newcomers, the Rangers did trade Will Borgen to the Boston Bruins. Schneider could have the same thing occur to him with Matthew Robertson and Drew Fortescue looking like end-of-depth-chart options for the team heading into training camp.