EDMONTON, Alberta — Gearing up for a playoff run with big-time acquisitions at the trade deadline is all Braden Schneider has known in his two NHL seasons.
The 21-year-old defenseman has been a mainstay on the Rangers’ bottom pair since he was recalled from AHL Hartford in mid-January last season, and the game Friday night against the Oilers was the 98th game of his NHL career. To put it in perspective, the Rangers have gone 61-28-11 since he made his NHL debut, not including their 10-10 record in the playoffs last season.
“It’s crazy to think how much success I’ve been able to be a part of so far,” Schneider told The Post before the Rangers’ 5-4 come-from-behind shootout win over the Oilers at Rogers Place on Friday. “I feel very fortunate. It’s a lot of fun to learn and grow from guys that have been there and done that and it makes coming to the rink really easy when you know you got a team like we do. It’s a lot of fun.”
Braden Schneider skates with the puck during the Rangers’ 5-4 shootout win over the Oilers. NHLI via Getty ImagesPlayers always talk about how easy it is to take these types of seasons for granted. Teams aren’t in position to beef up their lineup every season before the trade deadline, in preparation for what they hope to be a long playoff run. Schneider has seen a lot of early success in his career, but the second-year blueliner has learned from the players around him to appreciate it while he’s in it.
“I feel like last year and reflecting over the summer a lot, you never realize how good your team is when you’re in it,” he said. “I think both years, it’s easy to realize that we have a really special group here and we can do some pretty great things I think. I think we all believe in that and it’s a lot of fun to be a part of.”
Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury has gone out each of the past two seasons and brought in a new defensive partner for Schneider. Last season, it was Justin Braun from the Flyers. This season, it’s Niko Mikkola from the Blues. Schneider has been able to adjust to both on the fly pretty seamlessly, but he said he doesn’t think Drury is tailoring moves to find him defensive partners.
Mikkola, who skated in his fourth game with the Rangers on Friday, said he feels age is just a number and that Schneider plays older than his actual age. Mikkola said he has noticed that Schneider plays a simple game and is always looking to make a smart, first pass to the forwards.
The early numbers attached to the Mikkola-Schneider pairing have been solid. In 43:22 of ice time, the two defensemen have been on for three Rangers goals and only two against, according to Natural Stat Trick.
“I think he’s a great player,” Schneider said of Mikkola. “He skates, he’s big, he’s physical, he skates really well, he can shoot it. You can tell he plays the game the right way and he plays it hard. So far, I have loved playing with him.”







