Thoughts on the 2 year Braden Schneider bridge deal
In case you missed it over the weekend, the Rangers re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Braden Schneider to a two year contract. The Schneider bridge deal came in at a $2.2 million cap hit during Schneider’s age-23 and age-24 seasons. He will be an RFA, this time with arbitration rights, heading into his age-25 season in the summer of 2026.
1. The Schneider bridge deal is a tidy piece of business by Chris Drury. Schneider will be the 2RD next season, and if we assume he gets the same 20 minutes a night in that role that Jacob Trouba used to get, then he has the potential to be a solid bargain when the Rangers need it the most. It’s expected he will be paired with K’Andre Miller on the second pair, which will give the Rangers a much stronger top-four than last year.
2. I personally would have preferred taking a small gamble on Schneider, giving him a six year contract at the Evolving-Hockey projected $3.7 million. Normally I wouldn’t want to take a risk on a guy like Schneider, who hasn’t really shown strong possession numbers.
Looking at his numbers in a vacuum–never recommended–shows that he struggles in limiting quantity against, but is at least replacement level in all other major stats. It’s a significant improvement from his first two seasons, where he was pretty rough. Coaching and a steady defense partner does wonders, doesn’t it?
3. The improvement from his Gerard Gallant days to his first season under Peter Laviolette is one of the drivers why I thought a Schneider bridge deal might be a bigger risk than others. That was a pretty significant improvement in a position that sees a peak a little later than forwards, around 25 years of age. If the Rangers avoided a Schneider bridge deal and instead went long term, those four extra years could have been an extreme bargain.
Alas, it was not in the cards. This, mind you, has nothing to do with a Jacob Trouba trade. If they really wanted Schneider to sign a long term deal, they can simply clear $4 million of Trouba’s cap hit via buyout in the coming month or so.
The Rangers prefer the bridge deal, thus, we got a Schneider bridge deal.
4. To reiterate: The Schneider bridge deal has little to do with Trouba’s status with the Rangers. The Rangers can go 10% over the cap over the summer, per the CBA, and only need to be cap compliant by early October. There were ways to create the space if the Rangers wanted to sign him long term.
5. As for defense pairings, we know it will be Lindgren-Fox and Miller-Schneider. Personally, I’d prefer Miller-Fox and Jones-Schneider, putting Lindgren and Trouba (or a separate 3RD) together. There’s arguments for and against, we won’t really know if there’s a wrong answer until it’s tried, if it ever is.
6. Schneider was more one piece of the offseason plan that has been completed. Naturally, the only major thing left is Ryan Lindgren’s contract. The Rangers have about $5 million in cap space to work with, and it’s rumored Lindgren will get 3-5 years at $4 million or so. Plenty of space.