The Rangers have already done most of their offseason heavy lifting, but one need still hangs over the roster: forward depth.
General manager Chris Drury has been busy reshaping the team, bringing in forward Pavel Dorofeyev and defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi. On paper, that leaves New York looking stronger than the group that finished last season. Even so, the Rangers could still use another forward before opening night, especially after moving Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth.
With no obvious star sitting there for the taking, the Rangers may have to get creative. One path would be dealing from a spot where they have extra bodies, and Braden Schneider is the name that keeps coming up.
"As I wrote a couple weeks ago, I still believe the Rangers would like to leverage Schneider into forward help of their own, especially given the improved defensive depth...The market hasn’t yielded any sure-fire options to this point, so it may have to be a Wright-like reclamation project, if it happens at all," writes Mercogliano. "I’ve wondered about defense-needy teams like the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks, as well as change-of-scenery candidates such as Columbus’ Kent Johnson and Calgary’s Connor Zary."
Drury’s work on the blue line explains why Schneider could be available. New York added Durzi and Pettersson, while also sending Will Borgen to the Boston Bruins. With Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov set as the top pair, and Durzi and Pettersson likely occupying the second pair, Schneider appears slotted on the third pair.
The Rangers still made sure to keep him in the fold, avoiding arbitration and signing Schneider to a one-year, $5.5 million contract for the upcoming season. That’s a hefty number for a third-pair defenseman, but it also reflects how much depth New York now has on defense.
That depth is what gives the Rangers room to explore a deal. Mercogliano pointed to the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks as possible fits for a player like Schneider, though those were his suggestions, not confirmed trade talks.
For now, the market for forwards doesn’t appear especially lively. The Rangers may have to wait until training camp, when injuries start to pile up and more teams feel pressure to make moves. If that happens, Schneider could become the piece New York uses to land a forward who can handle real minutes.
Until then, keeping Schneider around is hardly a problem. It gives the Rangers a stronger defense while they wait to see whether the right forward trade finally opens up.
In Other News...
Trocheck Just Reopened A Painful Rangers Debate After That Presidents Trophy Run
Vincent Trochecks move from New York to Utah closes a notable chapter for a Rangers player who had become part of the fabric of the lineup over the past four years. Looking back on his time with the club, Trocheck pointed to the roster turnover that followed the Rangers 2024 Presidents Trophy season, a reminder of how quickly a team can shift from contender to a different kind of transition.
For the Rangers, his departure is another marker of an offseason and a stretch of change that has already forced plenty of reflection about what came after that regular-season run. Trocheck, for his part, spoke appreciatively about his experience in New York and said he is looking ahead to joining the Mammoth organization, leaving the bigger question of where the Rangers go from here to hang in the background. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Are Trying To Matter Again In The East
Columbus spent another spring on the outside looking in, finishing with a 40-30-12 record and missing the Eastern Conference playoff cut by six points. It was the sixth straight season without a postseason berth, and the Blue Jackets spent the offseason trying to reshape the roster with additions such as Valeri Nichushkin and Ryan Lomberg while also watching key forwards walk in free agency.
For a team that has spent years trying to climb back into relevance, those are the kinds of moves that invite both hope and doubt. The Blue Jackets have clearly tried to add more bite and depth, but in a crowded East, the real question is whether this version of the roster is good enough to turn progress into a playoff return. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Rempe Faces A Rangers Camp Battle That Just Got Real
Matt Rempes road back to the Rangers has not been a clean one, and this summer only adds another layer to it. The forward missed most of the 2025-26 season after a hand injury that required two surgeries, a setback that derailed what had already become a stop-and-start year. After trying to come back too soon last season, his campaign ended in early February, leaving him with plenty to prove before training camp opens.
Now the real work is less about recovery and more about earning a place in a crowded bottom-six picture. Rempe is set to compete for one of those limited spots against younger forwards such as Jaroslav Chmelar and Adam Sykora, which makes camp a meaningful test rather than a formality. For a player still trying to reestablish himself, the battle ahead feels like the sort that can shape not just his role, but his immediate future with the Rangers. [Read more 🡒]