The expectations for Braden Schneider going into the 2025-26 season were for him to elevate himself as one of the New York Rangers’ top defensemen.
Through eight games, has he been able to do that so far? Well, it’s a complicated question that is worth diving into.
There were rumblings that Schneider could move to the left side in order to play a top-four role, something he admitted that he was open to.
However, Mike Sullivan has opted to keep him on the right side, instead of pairing him alongside Will Borgen.
This isn’t necessarily a slight on Schneider though. Sullivan outlined the pros and cons of moving Schneider to the left side, and he emphasized that keeping him on the team’s third pairing would provide an element of balance.
Schneider staying in his usual spot instead of forcing him to move from his strong side is likely a way of Sullivan trying to balance out his defensive core.
The 24-year-old is currently averaging a career high 18:14 minutes per game, a sign of Sullivan’s trust in him from a defensive standpoint.
“I think Schneider is a really good defender,” Sullivan said. “He’s mobile, he’s strong, he’s abrasive. He has an element of physicality to his game that I think is essential to being a good defender. I think he's defending really well.”
While Schneider has all the tools to be an impactful offensive-defenseman, including his powerful shot and impressive speed, it’s a part of his game that he is still yet to truly unlock.
Schneider has taken just 12 shots on net this season, a number that will need to increase because the Rangers are relying on him to take a step offensively.
Sullivan is putting put Schneider in a position to grow upon his offensive game by giving him a role on the second power-play unit.
The hope from Sullivan’s end is that Schneider’s power-play responsibilities will help him learn and grow as a player.
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“We're trying to help him with different and certain aspects of his offensive game, whether it be getting pucks through from the offensive blue line, how he activates off the offensive blue line when we have possession of the offensive zone,” Sullivan said.
“I think he's improving in that aspect of his game. We're hopeful that the power play, maybe getting some power-play reps can help him with his offensive blue-line skills. I think he's doing a pretty good job up there just distributing pucks, and when there's a lane to the net, he's delivering pucks down. He's getting on experiential learning in that process, so I think he's improving that.”
So to answer the original question, Schneider definitely has taken steps in his overall game, and his usage continues to increase, but there’s still another gear that he could get to before he ultimately reaches his highest potential.