The New York Rangers signed Braden Schneider to a short-term, two-year, $4.4 million contract extension on July 13. Schneider was a restricted free agent, along with Ryan Lindgren, two integral parts of the Rangers' blueline. They also had Jack Roslovic left to re-sign, but he reached a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Rangers now have $5.1 million left to complete Lindgren's deal and possibly upgrade other areas. The Rangers may also get some cap space if they complete a trade of Jacob Trouba.
New York got Schneider at a bargain, which will help them compete this season. However, the Rangers may be loading up to make one more run at the Stanley Cup Final this season. They made the Eastern Conference Final in two of the last three seasons but haven't been able to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Rangers acquired Reilly Smith in a trade at the start of free agency to bolster their forward depth. Chris Drury feels the Rangers can win a Stanley Cup next season, but the question is what the future has in store after next season. Drury hopes the salary cap will rise considerably, as Igor Shesterkin, Alexis Lafreniere, and K'Andre Miller are due for contracts after this season.
All three players are likely due for substantial raises, so the Rangers as we know them could be ending after the 2024-25 season. Will getting Schneider and Lindgren on new contracts under the salary cap help the Rangers win the Stanley Cup this season? Chris Drury and the Rangers fans certainly hope so.
Did Braden Schneider take a team-friendly deal?
It looks like the former 20th overall pick took a team-friendly deal to ensure the Rangers could remain competitive next season. Schneider has been a consistent player for the Rangers, missing just one game over the last two seasons. He had a career-high 19 points last season, but his defense-first attitude makes him a valuable player for the Rangers.
Schneider performs defensively by staying out of the penalty box, which makes him an asset on the penalty kill. He had just 16 penalty minutes in each of the past two seasons. Schneider also has acceptable advanced numbers, with a 49.10 Corsi, 47.40 Goals-For %, and a -1.70 Relative Dangerous Fenwick %.
These stats are how the advanced analytics community measures how valuable a player is to their team. A quick search of PuckPedia.com showed 11 other defensemen with numbers similar to Braden Schneider last season.
Some names included Alex Pietrangelo, Adam Pelech, Erik Cernak, and Jamie Oleksiak. That list of players is making the following annual average salaries: $8.8 million, $5.75 million, $5.2 million, and $4.6 million. Three players also had fewer points than Schneider last season and played fewer than 65 games.
It shows players are making $4-6 million more than Schneider with the same defensive output, who are also less gifted offensively and less reliable. It's commendable for Schneider to take a pay cut to ensure the Rangers fit underneath the salary cap, but he failed to cash in on his past two seasons.
The Rangers get a bargain
The players listed above may be older and more experienced, so we'll also look at other defensemen whose UFA year is 2028. The list includes Alex Vlasic, Bowen Byram, Jamie Drysdale, and Moritz Seider.
Vlasic recently received a $4.6 million annual extension, while Byram has a $3.85 million deal. Schneider isn't far removed from these players but is making significantly less. Moritz Seider's contract this offseason will likely blow Schneider's deal away t00.
Schneider could have easily held out for a similar contract to Alex Vlasic's. Vlasic's advanced numbers are lower than Schneider's in some areas, and he also contributes less at the offensive end. Vlasic may have only had his first complete season in 2023-24, but that makes the Vlasic contract look even worse.
Schneider has been proving himself over the last two seasons, maintaining the same level of defensive play and offensive production. The Chicago Blackhawks took a chance that Vlasic would keep improving, but it will be a terrible deal if it doesn't.
On the other hand, the Rangers are confident that Schneider's form won't drop, and his contract will look like a steal in two seasons. If the Rangers advance to the Stanley Cup Final next season and claim the trophy, Schneider's contract will be a storyline.
The positive for Schneider is that the Rangers may have put his contract down the road to give him a significant raise when they have more cap space. With the rising cap and some of the Rangers' contracts coming off the books, Schneider could make a lot more when his contract expires again.
Braden Schneider Final Grade: C-
Rangers Final Grade: A+
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