With the New York Rangers officially out of the playoff race, defenseman Braden Schneider has been ruled out for the final two games of the season due to an upper-body injury. The 23-year-old had been playing through the issue but stayed in the lineup while the team was still in contention. After a 7-3 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday eliminated the Rangers from postseason hopes, the team opted to shut Schneider down. These will be the first games he’s missed all season, and only the second in his three-year NHL career.
Schneider struggled in Saturday’s loss, finishing minus-3 and being on the ice for Carolina’s first two goals. He also failed to catch up to Jordan Staal on a breakaway early in the third. Despite the rough night, Schneider wrapped up the season with career highs in goals (6), assists (15), points (21), and average ice time (17:52). He also led the team in blocked shots (145) and was third overall in hits (146), leading all Rangers defensemen. While primarily on the third pair, Schneider showed flexibility by stepping up in the lineup and playing on his off (left) side when needed — something the team may explore further next season as they evaluate top-four options.
Meanwhile, defenseman Matthew Robertson is set to make his long-awaited NHL debut on Monday against the Florida Panthers. The 24-year-old, drafted a year before Schneider in 2019 (49th overall), has spent four seasons in the AHL with Hartford, gradually finding his game. This year, he posted career bests with 24 assists and 25 points, leading all Hartford defensemen and ranking second on the team in assists.
Though the Rangers already have depth on the blue line, they called up Robertson not due to necessity but to evaluate him at the NHL level before making offseason decisions. Coach Peter Laviolette confirmed at Sunday’s optional skate that Robertson will finally get his chance in the big league.
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