In light of the defensive disappointment this season, there might need to be a change coming from an external source. With a rumor circling of the New York Rangers shopping one of their up-and-coming blueliners, the St. Louis Blues might be smart to try and entertain an offer for him.
Braden Schneider, who has been up and down himself this season, is in a contract year. The upside for the Blues here is that they might be able to do a few things with acquiring the young defenseman, and their present and future worries on the back-end could be solved.
Let's talk about it.
Adding youth
The Logan Mailloux experiment has gotten off to a rough start through the first sprint of the season. He has not been able to grasp a firm footing at the NHL level, and the stellar play of Zack Bolduc, whom he was traded for in Montreal, has really soiled this deal altogether.
Schneider is a great option at 24 years old. As an impending RFA, the best course would be to try and make a deal for him, and that can really help the blueline in St. Louis. Colton Parayko is aging, Cam Fowler is even older, and Justin Faulk is getting up there. Plus, with how this season is currently going, each of those three players is averaging out to 23 minutes of ice time every night. That is not going to last much longer.
Philip Broberg is the best of the younger group of the defense, and Tyler Tucker has looked significantly better than years past. Matthew Kessel is much like Mailloux, as just unproven talent.
Rangers need experience, Blues need youth
Carson Soucy is the oldest Rangers defenseman at 31. The Rangers are in desperate need of some experience, especially someone like Faulk, who is a tad older but still at the top of his game. At this point, any kind of change might fix the Blues blueline.
Schneider is likely going to grab another bridge deal at the end of this season, no matter where he goes. The Blues can avoid using another offer sheet to get him in the summer, when they can try and right the wrongs of the first 10 games of the 2025-26 season.
Should the Blues entertain a possible trade with the Rangers for Schneider?