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Rangers answer some blue line questions, re-signing Ruhwedel and Schneider |
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The Rangers took care of two components of their defense the past few days. Friday, New York inked Chad Ruhwedel to a one-year, two-way contract with a 775K cap hit. Saturday, the Blueshirts came to terms with restricted free agent Braden Schneider on a two-year with a 2.2 million AAV. With both these players signed, what remains still to be determined is the contract for Ryan Lindgren and how the Jacob Trouba situation will play out.
Ruhwedel was acquired from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline for a 2027 fourth-round pick as a depth blueliner. Zac Jones was the first next man up with Ruhwedel behind him in the pecking order. Ruhwedel saw five games of action after he was acquired while Trouba was sidelined, but did not get into any playoff games.
Ruhwedel played in 78 games for the Penguins in 2021-22 before seeing his game action drop to 47 the following season. This past year, he dressed for 47 of Pittsburgh’s 61 games prior to the trade, almost exclusively in a bottom-pairing role. Ruhwedel's ice time declined each of the past two seasons as he moved from a second- to third-pair blueliner.
As seen below, his underlying metrics were solid for a depth defenseman. Ruhwedel clearly is an upgrade over Ben Harpur for the seventh blueliner. In terms of what this means for Matthew Robertson, in my view, there are two possibilities. First, New York wants him to see as many minutes as possible in high-leverage situations in the minors rather than sitting in the press box, unless a regular role is available. Second, he clearly has not done enough to show he warrants a full time spot. If an additional blueliner is needed during the season, keep an eye on Victor Mancini.
Personally, as mentioned I would have loved Adam Boqvist for this spot, due to the upside potential. But Boqvist wanted to play with his brother and viewed Florida as a better option. Ruhwedel can play both the left and right side and comes back knowing the system and players at a veteran minimum price. He provides the team a safety net in case of injury or if Trouba is moved without a d-man back in return (though the move from Trouba to Ruhwedel would be a downgrade physically)
Schneider's signing removes one order of business from Chris Drury's checklist:
Schneider, who first came on the scene with us witnessing JD's fist pump after trading up to get him in the draft, was expected to receive a contract in the $2.5 mil AAV range. Coming in slightly below that figure on a bridge deal saves a little more cap space to resign Lindgren. Right now, New York is at $5.1 in remaining cap room, though that includes 14 forwards, which the Rangers are unlikely to carry during the season. When this bridge deal ends, Schneider will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights in the 2026 offseason and two years away from unrestricted free agency, at which point a longer deal could be in the offering.
Schneider burst on the scene in January 2022 and looked to be a future stalwart on the blueline with his play that postseason. His game regressed somewhat in 2022-23, but as we have discussed, defensemen growth is not linear. Schneider mainly played on the third pairing, where he was not always aided by his pair mate. But, he seemed to take a major step forward when placed next to K'Andre Miller on the second unit last March and in the postseason. Heading into 2024-25, with all that is swirling around Trouba, coupled with his decline in play, Schneider should start the year on the right side of Miller with Jones next to Trouba on the third pair.
I am expecting a big step forward from Scheider, both defensively and also offensively. If he can make strides in those regards, that should also help Miller reach his potential. Two good years from Schneider will set him up well for his next deal.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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