The New York Rangers' offseason additions will bring a new look to the team, and it could bring success in 2025-2026. Braden Schneider''s return to the lineup could prove to be a variable for the success of the team down the road.![Braden Schneider]()
Braden Schneider underwent surgery on April 17th to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. The news he dropped during the media break-up day surprised us all. If his recovery goes well, we could see him return to form in the Rangers' lineup.
He'd inform reporters that the torn labrum had been affecting him since the 2022-2023 season and progressively gotten worse.
«It was sore for the first season,» he explained, wearing a sling on his left arm and sitting in front of his locker. «Last year, I knew there was a tear in it. And then this year, they said it was pretty bad.»
Given the culture of hockey, the Saskatchewan native learned to play, he likely learned to put aside the pain and keep competing. A reason he could've been struggling this year.
His physical play was one reason the Rangers traded up from pick 20 to 19 in the draft to pick Braden Schneider and keep him away from their rivals, the New Jersey Devils. John Davidson would be ecstatic, pumping his fist in the air as they secured the deal with the Flames, sending them a third-round pick in exchange.
While he's developed in the right way, he hasn't fulfilled his true potential, and this might be the explanation why.
Schneider played a total of 80 games this season with compromised health. This could easily explain why the shutdown defenseman finished with 21 fewer hits in 2024-2025 than the last season, with 146.
His play style earned him the nickname "Baby Trouba", given his inclination to deliver crushing hits, which we'd seen with the Brandon Wheat Kings, weren't so prominent this year.
Schneider would later earn a full-time promotion to the Rangers after 24 games played with the Wolfpack in 2021-2022.
The aspect of a healthy Schneider in the Rangers lineup, a 6'4", 213 lb defenseman throwing the body and creating space on the ice and shutting down the opposition's forwards is exciting. This could once again become a reality, if he returns in October fully recovered and ready to go, almost like receiving a new defenseman in free agency.
Given the culture of hockey, the Saskatchewan native learned to play, he likely learned to put aside the pain and keep competing. A reason he could've been struggling this year.
His physical play was one reason the Rangers traded up from pick 20 to 19 in the draft to pick Braden Schneider and keep him away from their rivals, the New Jersey Devils. John Davidson would be ecstatic, pumping his fist in the air as they secured the deal with the Flames, sending them a third-round pick in exchange.
While he's developed in the right way, he hasn't fulfilled his true potential, and this might be the explanation why.
The Prospect Ahead for Schneider
Schneider played a total of 80 games this season with compromised health. This could easily explain why the shutdown defenseman finished with 21 fewer hits in 2024-2025 than the last season, with 146.
His play style earned him the nickname "Baby Trouba", given his inclination to deliver crushing hits, which we'd seen with the Brandon Wheat Kings, weren't so prominent this year.
Schneider would later earn a full-time promotion to the Rangers after 24 games played with the Wolfpack in 2021-2022.
The aspect of a healthy Schneider in the Rangers lineup, a 6'4", 213 lb defenseman throwing the body and creating space on the ice and shutting down the opposition's forwards is exciting. This could once again become a reality, if he returns in October fully recovered and ready to go, almost like receiving a new defenseman in free agency.
