As rumors fly regarding the Rangers retool, Braden Schneider’s name has come up numerous times. Outside of Vincent Trocheck, Schneider would bring back the biggest return as a young right handed defenseman with pedigree. The NHL loves young RHDs that have a reputation for being solid defensively, and his trade return would move the Rangers forward significantly. However this wouldn’t be a topic without the Will Borgen contract, as Chris Drury’s tunnel vision is going to cost him dearly.
Many seem to take offense to the notion that Schneider can and should be on the trade block. He’s having an objectively bad season, but isn’t that far removed from flirting with top-four effectiveness despite a torn labrum in his shoulder. Since every Ranger is having a rough season, it’s a little easier to toss this aside as a blip.
That said, Schneider is on the block because of depth at the position, not because of his play. After all, Schneider is just 24 years old, so he fits the mold of younger player to help with the retool. However with Adam Fox not going anywhere and Borgen signed forever, the Rangers need to find assets to move to address the retool. Scott Morrow is improving steadily and EJ Emery is about 2-3 years away.
The issue is with the Will Borgen contract. It was an overpay at best when Drury inked him to a 5 year contract carrying a $4.1 million cap hit. With Borgen regressing after his great start, it’s looking more and more like a problem that Drury won’t be able to simply dump. So the problem isn’t so much with Schneider, but with the Will Borgen contract. As far as untradeable contracts go, this is pretty up there, and he doesn’t even have any clauses to deal with.
The Will Borgen contract locks him in as the Rangers 2RD for at least the duration of the retool. That means Schneider, for better or for worse, becomes the Rangers 3RD. As much as you may like Schneider, his projected $5 million cap hit is far too much for a 3RD that doesn’t move the puck well. Morrow, for example, is under $1 million.
Even if you like the player, you can’t pay a premium price for what amounts to a depth position. This is where the Will Borgen contract hurts. Drury got tunnel vision on Borgen, sold Kaapo Kakko for pennies on the dollar–and if rumors are to be believed, didn’t even shop him around the league–to land him, then extended him almost immediately. He’s a fine bottom-four defenseman, but the Will Borgen contract and Drury’s tunnel vision is going to cost him Schneider.
To be abundantly clear: This isn’t necessarily about Schneider the player. He hasn’t progressed the way many hoped, and that shouldn’t be ignored. The issue is roster space and projected cap hit for what is essentially a bottom pair defenseman. Drury’s has essentially dug himself into a big hole with the Will Borgen contract, and it’s leading to only one right answer: Braden Schneider must be traded if the Rangers retool is going to be successful.
More About: Irresponsible Rumormongering