Braden Schneider Shut Down for Remainder of Season; Matthew Robertson Set to Make Long-Awaited NHL Debut
Just a day after being officially eliminated from playoff contention, the New York Rangers announced that defenseman Braden Schneider will miss the final two games of the season due to an upper-body injury.
The 23-year-old had reportedly been playing through the injury while the Rangers were still in the playoff race. But after a 7-3 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes ended their postseason hopes, the team opted to shut him down. Remarkably, these will be the first games Schneider has missed all season, having previously played in all but one game over his three-year career.
Saturday’s game was especially rough for Schneider, who struggled defensively. He was caught out of position on a Jordan Staal goal early in the third period and finished the game with a minus-3 rating. He was on the ice for Carolina’s first two goals and had a 5-on-5 expected goals share of just 36.4%, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Despite the tough ending, Schneider set personal bests this season with 6 goals, 15 assists, and 21 points, while averaging 17:52 of ice time per game. He led the team in blocked shots (145) and ranked third in hits (146), proving to be a physical presence on the blue line. Though typically on the third pairing, Schneider showed versatility by playing up the lineup and even on his off (left) side when needed — something the Rangers may consider moving forward, especially given the right-side logjam with Adam Fox and Will Borgen.
With Schneider out, the team has recalled defenseman Matthew Robertson from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Robertson, who was drafted in the second round back in 2019, will finally make his NHL debut on Monday against the Florida Panthers.
Unlike Schneider, who has already logged nearly 300 NHL games, Robertson’s path has been slower. The 24-year-old just wrapped up his fourth season in the minors, having dealt with both injuries and inconsistent performance. Still, he turned in a solid year with career highs in assists (24) and points (25), leading all Hartford defensemen in those categories.
The call-up wasn’t strictly necessary from a roster standpoint, as the Rangers were already healthy-scratching defensemen like Zac Jones and Calvin de Haan. But with the season effectively over, the team wants to evaluate Robertson ahead of what could be a pivotal offseason. He’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights and could be in line for a new deal depending on how he performs.
Given the limited pool of young defensemen in the system — with only Robertson, Brandon Scanlin (25), and Jackson Dorrington (21) under age 28 in Hartford — the Rangers may see value in retaining him for depth and potential upside
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