Why it’s time for Rangers to try out long-term Adam Fox-Braden Schneider pairing
Since the start of the 2024-25 season, the New York Rangers have largely remade their defense, both in personnel and alignment.
Out are mainstays Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren, each traded this season. In are new blue-line pillar Will Borgen, who assumed Trouba’s former role next to K’Andre Miller in what has been a very effective partnership; Urho Vaakanainen, who arrived in the Trouba deal and proven to be a steady and sound option; and Carson Soucy, a bruiser obtained from the Vancouver Canucks for a third-round draft pick.
The makeover, though, has left the Rangers without a crucial element that was lost when Lindgren departed: A partner to play with top defenseman Adam Fox. While the first reaction might be to go big-game hunting for a left-side defender to fill that role this summer, it would be behoove the Blueshirts to explore the distinct possibility that the answer might exist in-house.
That’s Braden Schneider, who at 23 years old remains one of the organization’s hopes to help anchor the blue line for years to come – and who, with the defense’s current configuration, looks to be blocked from career advancement on his natural right side.
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Braden Schneider stuck behind Adam Fox, Will Borgen on right side of defense
With Fox and Borgen each signed long term and ensconced on the right side of the top two defense pairs, Schneider has been relegated mostly to the third pair. Fox is signed through 2028-29 at a $9.5 million AAV; Borgen is signed through 2029-30 at $4.1 million per season.
Though a testament to their depth in that spot, bottom-pair duties aren’t what the Rangers planned for Schneider when they traded up three spots in the 2020 NHL Draft to select the native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, No. 19 overall in the first round.
Fortunately for the Rangers, there’s an at least somewhat-tested solution that could solve both problems they face about Fox’s next partner as well as Schneider’s spot in the lineup. That’s a return of Schneider to the left side – a move he handled with comfort and aplomb earlier this season – to join the 2021 Norris Trophy winner as Lindgren’s successor.
Lindgren missed the first five games this season after he sustained a jaw injury during a preseason fight with New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield. Coach Peter Laviolette moved Schneider to his off side with fellow right-hand shot Trouba for that stretch, and the results were better than expected.
Schneider-Trouba posted an expected goal share of 52.8 over 73:13, with the Rangers outscoring opponents 3-2, per Natural Stat Trick. Perhaps just as important from a forward-looking perspective, the move seemed natural for Schneider, with the 6-foot-4, 213-pounder appearing to take advantage of the opportunity to attack the middle of the offensive zone on his forehand as he flashed his often-overlooked offensive skills.
A plus-4 in the Rangers season-opening 6-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Schneider recorded seven shots on goal over the first two games and 10 total on Trouba’s left – tying his highest total in any five-game stretch this season.
“He had some nice goals (last season) off the rush and in offensive zone play,” Laviolette said in October. “But he’s definitely had some ones that sit on your mind where he pulled it from his off side, he beat somebody 1-on-1, he brought it back to the middle and it was a heckuva goal. So, there’s definitely contributions that he can look for to continue to push offensively.”
As a desired draft prospect, Schneider was billed as a physical, tough-to-play against defender. His offensive skills, though, were also apparent, since he had a 42-point season with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2019-20.
With goals in two of his past five games – one of them being a beautiful backhand overtime tally that gave the Rangers a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday – Schneider has 16 points in 69 games this season. It appears highly likely that he’ll eclipse his previous high of 19 in 82 games in 2023-24 – which would mark an increase in offensive production for each of his four NHL seasons.
A more permanent move to the left could help further flesh out that offensive ability. Schneider is a swift, strong skater, and teaming with Fox, who put up three straight 70-plus point seasons before this one, would also obviously help Schneider continue to develop as a point producer – and a more impactful all-around player. With Borgen and Miller, who the Rangers are expected to try to sign long-term this offseason, serving as the matchup pair, Fox and Schneider might have a chance to produce at a higher rate in more offensively-advantageous situations.
The duo has a history, one that’s mostly positive from the standpoint of underlying metrics. Schneider and Fox have played 134:01 together over the past three seasons, posting a 55.3 expected goal share. It stands to reason that number might get even better with them developing familiarity with each other after Lindgren served as Fox’s consistent partner for almost all of the latter’s career up until Lindgren’s exit March 1.
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Rangers could test new defense pairs down stretch this season
It’s worth it for Laviolette and the organization to find out now if such an arrangement will work. Experimenting for the future is crucial with the club once again looking like an also-ran after a listless 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames – their sixth loss in eight games (2-4-2). It was perhaps the Rangers most disheartening and disengaged effort of 2024-25, and it might indicate that a playoff spot isn’t in the cards for this spring.
Top-pair defensemen tend to be expensive in trade capital and salary, if any are even available. The Rangers have always had big plans for Schneider; now appears to be as good a time as any to start handing the fourth-year player those increased responsibilities as part of his development, rather than simply paying up in the offseason for a high-profile name to play with Fox.
Moving Schneider up this season would force easier reshuffling on the third pair, though it would come with some challenges. Fox has been teamed with Vaakanainen for the past few games, to unspectacular but decent results. Vaakanainen looks like a nice find by general manager Chris Drury, since he plays a reliable, fundamentally-sound game in his own end with a strong compete level. However, the Rangers gave him a two-year, $3.1 million extension March 7 – clear third-pair money, which is where Vaakanainen belongs over the long haul.
Putting him back on the left side of the bottom defense duo leaves an opening on the right with Schneider theoretically joining Fox. Perhaps the Rangers re-sign pending unrestricted free agent Zac Jones this summer, but with the expectation that he’ll probably be traded, that would leave Soucy as the obvious candidate to take the spot.
Such an alignment would leave the Rangers with two players on their off sides, since Soucy is a left-hand shot. Like Schneider, though, the versatile Soucy is capable of playing on either side. The third pair is also the correct spot for him. At 6-5 and 208 pounds, Soucy brings a badly-needed element of nastiness and ability to clear the crease, but he’s never been confused with a top-pair player. Soucy has been a healthy scratch the past three games in favor of Jones.
Left-right shot symmetry on defense is nice, but as Schneider demonstrated earlier this season, it’s often irrelevant – or in his case, perhaps actually better for a player’s game, and his team’s lineup as a result. Significant change is probably coming to this highly-flawed Rangers roster this summer. It would seem short-sighted for Laviolette not to use the remaining 13 games to find out whether the Rangers have a ready-made solution for Lindgren’s departure on the roster – one that would more or less complete Drury’s largely successful renovation of the blue line.
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