Braden Schneider and the Rangers avoided arbitration Monday, with the sides agreeing to a one-year deal worth $5.5 million in average annual value, according to The Post’s Mollie Walker.
Schneider, who was the Blueshirts’ first-round pick in 2020 and who has been involved in trade rumors dating back to last season, became a restricted free agent when his two-year, $4.4 million deal expired and was reportedly set for an arbitration hearing July 29, and he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer, too, according to PuckPedia.
This whole process didn’t lead to any long-term clarity between Schneider, who collected two goals and 18 points while skating in all 82 games last year, and the Blueshirts.
But, to this point, it also hasn’t led to a new team, either — and the defenseman said at the end of last season that he’d love to remain with the Rangers.
“We think Braden is a really good young talented defenseman,” president and general manager Chris Drury told reporters July 2. “We drafted him, developed him, we like the skill set and what he does for us. I know he, along with us, are just trying to do everything we can to be better and help him be better, but he’s an exciting player and a terrific all-around high character person in our organization.”
They also overhauled part of their blue line once July 1 arrived, with Sean Durzi part of the return package in the Vincent Trocheck-Mammoth trade and Marcus Pettersson likely joining the Blueshirts’ top-four after getting acquired from Vancouver.
Will Borgen was also traded to the Bruins in exchange for a pair of draft picks.
