The day after the New York Rangers’ playoff hopes were officially dashed, defenseman Braden Schneider was sidelined for the final two games of the season due to an upper-body injury.
At just 23 years old, Schneider had reportedly been managing this injury for some time, staying in the lineup as long as the Rangers were still in the hunt for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. However, their quest came to an end with a 7-3 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
This marks the first time this season that Schneider will miss any games; previously, he had only missed one game in the past three seasons.
Like many of his teammates, Schneider struggled in Saturday’s matchup. He was outpaced by Jordan Staal on a Carolina goal early in the third period, which put the score at 5-1. Schneider finished the game with a minus-3 rating and was on the ice for the Hurricanes’ first two goals in the opening period, contributing to the Rangers’ expected goals share of just 36.4 percent while he was on the ice in 5v5 situations, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Braden Schneider EWWWWWpic.twitter.com/KyobN0Qp3v
— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) March 14, 2025
Schneider achieved career-best numbers this season, recording six goals, 15 assists, 21 points, and averaging 17:52 in ice time. He was the team leader in blocked shots with 145 and ranked third overall—first among defensemen—with 146 hits.
While primarily playing on the third defensive pairing, Schneider also stepped up in the lineup when necessary and showed proficiency playing on his off (left) side during those opportunities.
This presents an option for the Rangers to consider for next season. If they aim to move Schneider into a top-four role, he faces competition on the right side from Adam Fox and Will Borgen. However, they could switch him to the left side to pair him with one of the veteran right-hand shooters.
Matthew Robertson to make NHL debut 6 years after being drafted by Rangers
After being eliminated from playoff contention, the Rangers called up defenseman Matthew Robertson from their AHL affiliate in Hartford. Coach Peter Laviolette mentioned during an optional practice on Sunday that Robertson is set to make his NHL debut when the Rangers take on the Florida Panthers on Monday.
Unlike Schneider, who was drafted a year after Robertson and has already played 286 NHL games, Robertson’s development has been more gradual. He has just finished his fourth season in the minors with Hartford and will finally step into an NHL game on Monday.
UPDATE: #NYR has recalled defenseman Matthew Robertson from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. pic.twitter.com/giG1uugTFV
— Hartford Wolf Pack (@WolfPackAHL) April 13, 2025
The 24-year-old was chosen in the second round (49th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. He has faced injuries and inconsistent performance since then but achieved career highs this season with 24 assists and 25 points. The Edmonton native is leading Hartford’s defensemen in those stats and ranks second on the team in assists, trailing only forward Alex Belzile, who has 37.
The Rangers didn’t call up Robertson due to Schneider’s injury; they were already excluding two defensemen—usually Zac Jones and Calvin de Haan—from their top six. However, the Rangers want to evaluate Robertson’s performance in the NHL before making decisions about his future with the team this summer.
Robertson is set to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. He unexpectedly received a qualifying offer last summer as an RFA and capitalized on it with a solid season. It remains uncertain if this performance will be sufficient to secure him another contract with the organization.
The Rangers don’t have many young defensemen in their minor league system, so they might opt to keep Robertson. Currently, he, Brandon Scanlin (25), and Jackson Dorrington (21) are the only defensemen under 28 playing for Hartford.
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