There has been a lot of chatter recently concerning trade talks between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks. Much of the discussion focused on, well, two centers: Mika Zibanejad of the Rangers and J.T. Miller of the Canucks.
Though Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman addressed the trade rumors in his weekly 32 Thoughts (more on that later), the NHL insider’s most recent column contained an even more intriguing gem.
According to Friedman, Braden Schneider is the genuine apple of Vancouver’s eye.
“Vancouver adores Braden Schneider, who the Rangers do not want to trade,” according to Friedman. “This would be the second time New York has rejected a Vancouver attempt for him.”
Schneider has a lot of appealing qualities. The 23-year-old defenseman is now in his fourth season in the NHL and has established himself as a reliable, intelligent, and physically strong member of the Rangers’ blue line. Importantly, he has not buckled this season despite all of the dysfunction on the Rangers (18-20-2), who are 6-16-1 in their last 23 games following a devastating 5-4 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.
Schneider also leads the Rangers’ defensemen with 71 hits and 67 blocked shots. And he’s averaging 17:09 TOI, up from 15:54 last season. Furthermore, he has an inexpensive salary cap charge of $2.2 million until next season, when he becomes a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.
So, there’s a lot to admire about Schneider. That is why the Rangers, as Freidman pointed out, intend to keep him.
Rangers ‘covet’ reunion with J.T. Miller, but won’t trade Braden Schneider
“You will recall that when Miller took his mental health sabbatical (Nov. 19), the Rangers, who wanted the player, were in Vancouver,” Friedman said. “From what I gather, they approached the Canucks to discuss what anything may look like, and Zibanejad was part of the talk. I am not sure if Zibanejad, who has a no-move clause, was ever approached. I asked at the time and did not get a clear answer. I also believe it was a bigger deal. That larger chunk may have included Vancouver’s request for Schneider. It is possible that New York offered struggling defenseman K’Andre Miller. That is currently guesswork. However, according to recent reports from multiple reputable NHL journalists, there was — and still could be — traction for a Zibanejad-Miller pairing.
Zibanejad has returned to form with a four-game point streak (two goals, two assists). He assisted on Vincent Trocheck’s game-winning power-play goal against the Stars late in the third period, but the Rangers ultimately lost. The 31-year-old is fourth on the Rangers with 25 points in 40 games, but six teammates have more than his eight goals.
Miller, a former Rangers forward selected in the first round in 2011, missed 10 games earlier this season due to a leave of absence. He had two goals and four points in Monday’s overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens and now has 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 29 games this season.
Miller finished sixth in the NHL scoring race last year, with 103 points (37 goals, 66 assists). This season, he reportedly had an open rift with star teammate Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, who are tied for the Western Conference’s second wild card.
