Rangers' Braden Schneider thrilled to play preseason game against Isles

There might not ever have been a player more fired up to play a preseason hockey game than Braden Schneider was Monday when the Rangers faced the Islanders at UBS Arena.

“I’m excited,’’ Schneider said after the Rangers’ morning skate. “Most times you’re not looking forward to it.”

But for Schneider, Monday’s 3-2 overtime win over a loaded Islanders roster was the first time he’d played in a hockey game since April 12, when the Rangers’ 7-3 road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes eliminated them from playoff contention with two games left in the regular season. Schneider had surgery after that game, to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.

So this summer was a different one for the fifth-year professional, who turned 24 on Sept. 20. He went home after the surgery, with his arm in a sling for four weeks, then he got married, then he spent the rest of the summer rehabbing the injury.

By the time training camp started, he had been cleared to give and receive hits, and was able to practice, though the team started him out in a non-contact red jersey and didn’t allow him to scrimmage the first week. Eventually, he was a full go at practice, and the plan was for him to play in two of the final three preseason games, the first of those being Monday.

In it, Schneider played 22 minutes, 51 seconds and had the second assist on Noah Laba’s game-winning goal at 1:01 of the extra period. He was credited with four hits, plus two blocked shots, and he said it was a huge relief to be able to get through the game.

“That's all I'm thinking about for the last six months, basically, is wanting to get back and be healthy, and play hockey again,’’ he said after it was over. “And to go out there and kind of get thrown into the fire… against a full NHL lineup... it definitely knocked the rust off me a bit. And I'm happy with the result.’’

Coach Mike Sullivan liked what he saw from Schneider.

“I thought he competed hard,’’ Sullivan said. “He's knocking the rust off, as you know. You could tell. But he's – to get that first one under his belt, I'm sure, for his sake, he probably feels a lot better.’’

Sullivan has said Schneider is one of the team’s top four defensemen, and the coach has suggested the team could play Schneider, a right-handed shot, on the third pair, behind Adam Fox and Will Borgen, or move him to the left side at times – something teams don’t often do with right-shot defensemen – to get him into one of the top two defense pairs.

"Being able to battle hard and go against guys [in practice] was a lot of help,’’ Schneider said. “I feel great. I’m sure the timing of things might take a period only, I hope to get back, and then once I get that confidence back, full confidence that I can start throwing bodies and punching guys in the head. Yeah, that’s kind of what I’m looking for.’’

Oh no: Miller went lunging to save a puck here and came up favoring his leg. You can see he’s in pain and he heads off to the locker room. #NYR pic.twitter.com/poxnzlOFNk

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) September 29, 2025

Once he’s back, Schneider will be counted on to be a pivotal player for the Rangers. Coach Mike Sullivan called Schneider “obviously a very important player for us, really solid defenseman, emerging young guy,’’ and said the team is “hoping we can get his game to another level.’’

Sullivan suggested the team could move Schneider, a right-handed shot, to the left side at times — something teams don’t often do with right-shot defensemen. Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov will make up the top pair, and Will Borgen, like Fox and Schneider, a right shot, is the second-pair right defenseman. Schneider, Sullivan said, may play on the third pair at times, and at other times — sometimes within the same game — may move to the left side to get into the top two pairs.

“We believe that Schneids is amongst the top four [defensemen], but that doesn’t mean he has to play in the top four,’’ Sullivan said. “I think we could create balance if we spread [the top four defensemen] out.’’

Schneider played on the left side early last season and said he prepped this summer for duty on the left, taking passes and making plays on his backhand. He started Monday’s game on the right, partnered with Urho Vaakanainen, on the top defense pair in a lineup missing many big names. He took one four-on-four shift playing on the left side with righty Scott Morrow.

Notes & quotes: Forward J.T. Miller, who suffered an apparent lower body injury at practice with the non-game group at the Rangers’ Greenburgh practice facility, is day-to-day and may practice Tuesday… Sam Carrick, who was originally scheduled to play against the Islanders, was a last-minute scratch with a lower body injury. He is day-to-day… The Rangers assigned five players: Jaroslav Chmelar, Jackson Dorrington, Case McCarthy, Adam Sykora and Kalle Vaisanen to AHL Hartford and released D Andrej Sustr from his tryout.