Rangers re-sign Braden Schneider on 1-year, $5.5 million deal to avoid arbitration

The New York Rangers and defenseman Braden Schneider have agreed to terms on a one-year, $5.5 million contract extension, according to a league source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been finalized.

The signing comes a little more than two weeks before Schneider’s arbitration hearing, which was scheduled for July 29. He will become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights again next summer, leaving his long-term future in New York somewhat uncertain.

It completes the most pressing remaining item on Rangers team president Chris Drury’s offseason to-do list, with the 24-year-old representing the Rangers only restricted free agent among their NHL regulars. Fellow RFA defensemen Vincent Iorio and Scott Morrow are also in need of new contracts, but neither is expected to be in the opening-night lineup.

Schneider is coming off a season in which he logged a career-high average of 20:27 time on ice per game (his previous high was 17:52), but the results were underwhelming. His 18 points (two goals and 16 assists) matched his worst total since 2022-23, despite his spending a chunk of the season on New York’s second power-play unit. He also registered the worst expected goals-for rate (44.61 percent) and goals against per 60 minutes rate (2.69) of any Rangers defensemen, according to Evolving Hockey.

Seeking to upgrade the second spot on the right-handed D depth chart behind No. 1 Adam Fox, Drury acquired Sean Durzi as part of the package that sent center Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth earlier this month. That, coupled with the July 1 trade that shipped veteran Will Borgen to the Boston Bruins, leaves Schneider penciled in on New York’s third pair, where he’ll likely play alongside either Matthew Robertson or rookie Alberts Šmits.

The Rangers have gauged the trade market for the 6-foot-3, 206-pounder but were only willing to move him if it brought back a young, top-nine forward, according to a league source who spoke anonymously to discuss private negotiations. It appears such an offer never came.

It’s possible a trade could still happen, especially if teams value Schneider’s newfound contract certainty. But the decision to trade Borgen instead is viewed as a signal that New York is content to hold its 2020 first-round pick and hope for improved performance in a less demanding role.