It makes sense that Braden Schneider’s entry-level contract is set to expire this offseason.
There has been nothing entry-level about the 22-year-old defenseman’s role with the Rangers recently.
But as the workload and responsibilities increased, so did the emotional involvement, making the end of the Rangers’ season even more difficult for Schneider to bear.
“The more I play, the more it hurts because I feel like I’m more involved,” he said in an exit interview with reporters earlier this month after the Blueshirts lost their second conference final since the Saskatchewan native made his NHL debut in January 2022.
The timing of Schneider’s promotion from third-pair mainstay to top-four option couldn’t have come at a better time for an organization that’s already starting to make tough decisions regarding the core of its team.
Business will likely come first for Schneider, who is set to become a restricted free agent.
Given the Rangers’ recent track record with young skaters, a two- to three-year stopgap deal would be appropriate, potentially in the range of $2-4 million per season.
The Rangers may want to lengthen Schneider’s next contract to ensure cost certainty, but they may not be able to take on that kind of cap hit for the next few years.
“I think I’ve learned a lot this year thanks to this staff,” Schneider said. “I feel like my confidence has grown a lot. I’ve been given a great opportunity. I just need to make sure I continue to refine my game. I think there’s still a level I want to reach.”
“I still have a lot to grow and learn, and I’m looking forward to getting there and coming back here and continuing to grow as a player.”
Schneider’s short tenure in New York was always going to be eventful, with many months spent with new defensive partners.
But this year has been unusually eventful, with Schneider having to overcome some rare growing pains as he adapted to first-year head coach Peter Laviolette’s highly detailed system.
He ultimately became a better defenseman because of it, more secure in his defensive position and more formidable defensively.
Then, when Jacob Trouba was sidelined with a broken ankle in March, Schneider stepped into the role alongside K’Andre Miller and thrived in increased ice time and tougher matchups.
Despite scoring just one more point (19) than last season, Schneider improved in a variety of categories.
He put more pucks on goal (95), more blocks (133) and more hits (167) and his percentage Corsi increased to just under 50 (49.1).
Not only have the Rangers scored more points when he’s on the ice this season, but Schneider has also handed the puck over far less often than he did last year.
The maturity of his game has been noticeable and was crucial to the Rangers’ Presidents Trophy winning campaign.
Trouba struggled upon returning to the lineup, and Laviolette opted to revert to the Schneider-Miller duo late in the season, which saw the team make most of the playoffs.
This dropped the Rangers captain to the bottom of the table along with Erik Gustavsson.
The two young blue liners will face off against the Capitals’ line of Aliaksey Protas, Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson and the Hurricanes’ unit of Jake Guenzel, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, as well as Carter Verhaeghe, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart in Games 5 and 6 against the Panthers.
Schneider is averaging 17 minutes, 32 seconds of ice time this postseason, a significant increase from 14 minutes, 58 seconds and 11 minutes, 9 seconds in his previous two games.
The Rangers have a lot of decisions to make this offseason on the defensive front, including Ryan Lindgren, who is also a restricted free agent but has arbitration rights as he prepares to sign his third contract this time.
Erik Gustafsson, who spent much of the regular season with Schneider, is also set to become an unrestricted free agent, and Trouba’s up-and-down year has called into question his status with the team.
Adam Fox is also potentially under contract for the next five seasons, but Miller will be eligible to begin extension negotiations from July 1 before the end of his one-year bridge contract next summer.
“return [to work] “I’m pretty determined this summer,” Miller said. “I think I’ll get better. I think everybody can get one percent better. If that’s our end goal, then if everybody just puts in one more percent, I think we’ll be ready for the challenge next season.”
