- Braden Schneider filed for salary arbitration ahead of Sunday’s deadline
- The filing makes the 24-year-old defenseman ineligible for an offer sheet
- Read below for what it means for his next contract and the trade talk
Braden Schneider and the Rangers still don’t have a new contract, so the defenseman is taking the next step.
Schneider filed for salary arbitration on Sunday, Daily Faceoff reported, beating the league deadline for restricted free agents to elect a hearing. The move locks in a path to a new deal and takes one option away from rival clubs. Once a player files, he can’t be handed an offer sheet.
He can still be traded or sign an extension with New York before any hearing. Schneider is coming off a two-year, $4.4 million bridge deal, and he won’t reach unrestricted free agency until 2028.
Durability has never been the issue. Schneider played all 82 games in 2025-26, the second time he’s pulled that off in his career. He chipped in two goals and 16 assists while logging a career-high 20:27 a night on the New York blue line.
This all comes during a busy Rangers summer. Chris Drury has reshaped the roster, and part of that was shipping Vincent Trocheck to Utah in a deal that brought back right-shot defenseman Sean Durzi. That gives New York another top-four option on the right side, the same spot Schneider plays.
His name has floated in trade talk for most of the offseason. Filing for arbitration doesn’t shut that down. It just puts a number on the table if the two sides can’t get there on their own.
Hearings run through late July and into August. The Rangers have until then to sign Schneider or find a trade that works.
