Prospect Info: 2020 NHL Draft 19th Overall Pick, Braden Schneider, D

[Cmox]

I'm not saying I expect him to get traded, just that he has a lot more trade value league wide than the player they otherwise would have picked at 22 most likely. Ranked high by a lot of teams and a lot less question marks than the players that were left on the board.

Gotcha

 

[Mike in Houston]

This is nice.

 

[Miamipuck]

I've been pushing for Schneider for months....

You have been pushing for a player you have never ever seen play?

Who else out of all the draft eligible players you haven't watched should the Rangers draft?

 

[NYRKing]

I read good things about him. The big bodied hard nosed dmen get the same treatment as a small forward. But when you do get a parayko or Carlo on your roster you’re quite happy.

With that said, I’m still scarred by recent picks outside the top 3 that shall not be named so some of the comments about poor skating ability gets me nervous.

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

You have been pushing for a player you have never ever seen play?

Who else out of all the draft eligible players you haven't watched should the Rangers draft?

Ease up, we're lucky to have him. I guess.

 

[Levitate]

I think Trouba is probably one of those guys that was bigger and better than most everybody he played against from a young age. Now, he's on a team where he is way down on the list as far as talent goes. Perhaps that will motivate him to take his game to another level. He played very well in the playoffs. Shame a few other players sucked beyond belief but it worked out as we got Lafreniere.

I've been pushing for Schneider for months as having a team full of 5'11 defenseman simply doesn't win playoff series and Stanley Cups. Schneider will fit like a glove on this team. I've also been saying for months that with elite skill on the top 2 lines Gorton and JD must now build a physical, keep the puck out of your net 3rd and 4th line and put out there at least 4 stay at home d-men types to keep the puck out of the net. Wait for your best players to win games with a play of two. The dumbest theory out there is the game has changed. No. It hasn't. The way to win Stanley Cups is to play outstanding team defense, get solid goaltending, have good special teams and have a few top players provide timely offense. This crap about having fast, puck moving d-men is what that moron AV believed in which is why his teams get worse defensively as time goes on.

Eh no having fast puck moving D is very important and part of the problem with AV is that he leaned on his guys who couldn't move the puck a bit too much (Girardi, Staal). But ideally those fast puck moving guys are solid and pyhsical and can makeplays in their own end. Hedman, McDonagh being kind of prototypes there
but puck moving is super important and more than just small quick guys can do it

 

[Mac n Gs]

Can we wait until he plays at least 1 NHL game before we pencil Nils Lundkvist into the lineup for the next 10 years?

Fine, but only one game.

 

[Miamipuck]

Ease up, we're lucky to have him. I guess.

Which one?

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

Which one?

Well, both. But Schneider if I had to pick.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

You have been pushing for a player you have never ever seen play?

Who else out of all the draft eligible players you haven't watched should the Rangers draft?

He's big and Canadian. That's all he wants.

 

[True Blue]

the schneider pick adds another young dman with the ability to play defense.

watch this kid play. the whl plays a tough brand of physical hockey and this kid can punish you and play positionally solid D.

great pick for 2-3 yrs down the road.

well done.

Agreed. Nothing not to like about the pick. With his shot, he can be a Chara like player. Please note, that I am NOT comparing Schneider to Chara. But a physical presence that also can be a bomber from the point, something that has been missing in Rangerland for a long, long time.

 

[Miamipuck]

Well, both. But Schneider if I had to pick.

I am cool with the pick the poster not so much. lol

 

[True Blue]

I get the confusion and concern about taking a RD, but if you are complaining about it I don't want to ever see you post something about the Rangers being too smart for their own good with the draft, etc. Either you believe in taking BPA or you don't.

Some of the takes on this are truly mind boggling. Seems that people forget that getting a Trouba-like player at 19 (or 22nd plus a 3rd rounder) is a huge win. People seem to forget every year that when you are picking in this range you are generally looking at middle 6 players or 2nd pairing defenders in the future.

Absolute no brainer. RD are hard to find as it is, so having a young stable of them is only positive. And the value is great. I am certainly no expert, but to me he was the 3rd best defenseman in the draft, behind only Sanderson and Drysdale. He not only represents fantastic value (no way did I see him sliding past Toronto), but his game is exactly what the team is trying to acquire more of.

Once again, Kudos to Gorton. He knew what he wanted, got a sense that teams in front of him wanted the same, got aggressive and got his guy.

 

[Chytilmania]

After my initial freakout I think I like the pick. A top 6 of Lindgren-Fox, Miller-Schneider, Robertson-Nils can be very balanced both offensively and suppressing attempts against.

Plus the return we would get on DeAngelo and potentially Trouba. THAT is where we can land a big center. For all the guys who wanted someone like Zary or Marat, it's likely we don't see them for 2+ years anyway. I'm totally cool with the pick, we need more players like this. Him and Miller as a pairing in 2-3 years could be dirty. Him and Lindgren blowing people up and clearing the crease on the PK.
Maybe next year Toronto or Vegas or the like is desperate and overpays for Trouba/ADA/Schneider. He may even be a trade chip for the Rangers. Gorton is doing a great job building depth and assets. D will no longer be an issue going forward and we have an embarrassment of riches to land a top tier Center. The LA Kings have drafted 6 centers the past 4 years. That's an easy target with our D and we get a prospect that is more than a year removed from his draft year and closer to contributing than a center at 22.

 

[JimmyG89]

From some videos, a good comp might be Cernak based on his style of play. You need guys like that. He's no slug and plays solid defense while being able to make good first passes. He'll likely need a partner that is more offensive minded in the end, but a support RHD that could allow a player like Miller to go and be more offensive is ideal.

 

[Chytilmania]

Don't mind the pick considering the board at the time. Every time he lays out Hughes and Co., it's gonna be another twist of the knife so that's a nice bonus.

Lays out Hughes, hits Kakko for a breakaway goal.

 

[alkurtz]

You can never have enough D, the position is fragile by nature.

Once the rebuild begins to show results, established players will need larger contracts and will perhaps need to be traded or let go. To maintain excellence, you need a steady stream of young players on ELCs to fill the void.

There is simply no way to predict what the D corps will look like in 3 years: injury, age, and circumstance will take their toll. You can lay it out, now, on paper, but there is no way to realistically know what it will look like.

This is a choice for the future and about sustainability.

Although I would have liked them to gamble on Lapierre, I understand the choice and the thinking behind it.

 

[True Blue]

Plus the return we would get on DeAngelo and potentially Trouba. THAT is where we can land a big center. For all the guys who wanted someone like Zary or Marat, it's likely we don't see them for 2+ years anyway. I'm totally cool with the pick, we need more players like this. Him and Miller as a pairing in 2-3 years could be dirty. Him and Lindgren blowing people up and clearing the crease on the PK.
Maybe next year Toronto or Vegas or the like is desperate and overpays for Trouba/ADA/Schneider. He may even be a trade chip for the Rangers. Gorton is doing a great job building depth and assets. D will no longer be an issue going forward and we have an embarrassment of riches to land a top tier Center. The LA Kings have drafted 6 centers the past 4 years. That's an easy target with our D and we get a prospect that is more than a year removed from his draft year and closer to contributing than a center at 22.

Trouba is not being traded. I also highly doubt that Gorton drafted Schneider with the idea that he is to be a trade chip, though naturally anyone can be. What happens with DeAangelo will be interesting, but I really do not see him being shipped out right now.

 

[mas0764]

Corey Pronman's take on Schneider, which I'll partially echo. I think Pronman has Schneider too low in the 30's, which is why I actually am saying I like the player.

And again BPA is also almost always the right way to go, but at some point you have to consider the ability to fit a player in ... ie, taking Askarov means that either he or Shesterkin is getting traded... are you gonna get more value back in trade than what you are expending to get the player?

That's the tipping point we are nearing with RD... there's just no room. Meanwhile C remains gaping. Pronman:

10. New York Rangers

Pick: 1. Alexis Lafreniere
My ranking: No. 1 (change: none)

Pick: 19. Braden Schneider
My ranking: No. 38 (change: +18)

The Lafreniere pick was a no-brainer and for the integrity of this type of analysis, I can’t give them too many kudos for it. He’s the clearcut No. 1 prospect in the draft — and now in the league (spoiler alert for my top 50 drafted prospects ranking!). That was never really in threat. So the Rangers’ ranking here was always going to be determined by their second pick of the first round. Hit? I’ll put you in the winners circle. Miss? Taking Lafreniere first overall doesn’t have the same shine and ring to it in an honest assessment of the Rangers’ scouts’ job in Round 1.

So I didn’t love it when the Rangers moved up to take Schneider. Which isn’t to say that Schneider isn’t a standout prospect. He is in his own way. Defensively, he’s polished without the puck on his reads, gaps, and physicality. With the puck, his skills are all just good though. He’ll confidently execute his first pass. He’s capable of sidestepping shot blockers to get shots through. And despite my late-30s rating, he absolutely belonged in the first-round conversation. But he’s not going to be a power play guy and I’m not sure his defensive upside is so valuable as to pass up the playmaking of a Hendrix Lapierre, the totality of Connor Zary’s offensive package, or the craftiness of a Mavrik Bourque. Do I hate the pick? No, not really. But he wouldn’t have been my choice for a team that already has Nils Lundkvsit, Zac Jones, K’Andre Miller and Matthew Robertson as potential second-pairing options moving forward.

 

[Mikos87]

If you asked any of us before the draft would you trade a 3rd round pick to land the guy ranked ~15 across the board with our 2nd pick of the day it would have been a resounding yes.

If you truly believe in taking BPA then it was either him or Lapierre, everyone else was generally the next tier. And there are obvious question marks with Lapierre even if that's who I was personally hoping for. Can't get mad at a team for passing on a guy with that kind of injury history.

I get the confusion and concern about taking a RD, but if you are complaining about it I don't want to ever see you post something about the Rangers being too smart for their own good with the draft, etc. Either you believe in taking BPA or you don't.

Some of the takes on this are truly mind boggling. Seems that people forget that getting a Trouba-like player at 19 (or 22nd plus a 3rd rounder) is a huge win. People seem to forget every year that when you are picking in this range you are generally looking at middle 6 players or 2nd pairing defenders in the future.

It's basically the Trouba trade all over again, except you aren't beholden to a $8M Cap Hit. A few months ago before all the picks were slotted out, I threw out what the board would think about a Schneider pick, this was before the cameo appearance against CAR, when the pick could have been in the teens. Now I don't think he puts up numbers at the NHL level, but you are getting a guy that plays a way that most defensemen these days don't.

The reason why there is a premium on Sanderson is that if you go back the last 8 drafts... count the number of defensemen that came out of there that are reliable top 4 guys. Especially from the 2012-2016 window. A lot of the top 4 guys from those drafts would be 3rd pair guys on a contender because you can get mismatches with them.

So beyond defining an identity, Schneider gives you an asset in the form of cap clearance. One of Trouba or DeAngelo is tradeable. Especially with Nils and Schneider back there.

 

[mas0764]

I mentioned this in the draft thread, but it's worth repeating here:

Schneider is getting ready for his fourth full WHL season (not counting the one game he played in 2016/17). He's an older birthday who most likely will be turning pro whenever his WHL season ends.

In other words, he could be a pro in as little 6-8 months.

That's good news/bad news.

Where does he play? The AHL? Can we find room for him quick enough in the NHL?

 

[Edge]

does he make Lundkvist expendable in a trade/upgrade?

Expendable, no.

Does he potentially cushion a move if Lundkvist has to be included? Yes.

Does he potentially offer an alternative prospect for another team to request? Yes.

There's so many variables that will come into play over the next several years. We really just need to sit back and let things play out for a little bit.

 

[Edge]

That's good news/bad news.

Where does he play? The AHL? Can we find room for him quick enough in the NHL?

I would say one step at a time.

He could probably slide into the AHL next season (2021-22). Once we see how that goes, what moves the Rangers make, who is included in those moves, etc., we can figure out the best use for him.

The Rangers will have options, and that's a good thing.

 

[mas0764]

My overly simplified opinion: Lafreniere is team defining pick. Schneider is a team building pick.

I will be honest, the more I think about it, I actually think the team viewed Schneider as a need pick and not necessarily a BPA pick.

 

[Mikos87]

Looking at some of these lists and comments, all of the slant guys had him low. That's a good sign... when the contrarians go binary on a guy you know that's when they are overvaluing what they idealize. This is just a sign that you aren't getting an offensive contributor.

My comp for Justin Barron a few months back was Ben Lovejoy. Ben Lovejoy helped PIT win a cup and was an everyday player. Schneider's numbers are similar to Barron's. I don't see a guy that gets more than 20-30 points, but if the rest of who he is translates, you've got a good piece of the puzzle.