2 Trade Candidates On Defense For Rangers

The New York Rangers have had another poor season and as they're three games under .500 and falling quickly out of contention for a playoff spot, they are ready to retool. That could mean a lot of players are on their way out, including a couple of defensemen in Braden Schneider and Carson Soucy.

David Pagnotta said, "Braden Schneider and Carson Soucy are believed to be trade candidates for the Rangers." While Vladislav Gavrikov and Adam Fox aren't expected to be going anywhere, the rest could be up for grabs for the right price and trade.

Schneider isn't blowing anyone away with his play, but he is the defenseman tasked with a larger role in Fox's absence. In his fifth season, he has played every game, is a penalty killer, and while his GF% and xGF% aren't great, that's what comes with playing a lot on a poor team and not being much of an offensive contributor.

Trading Schneider would be a questionable decision because of his age and his ability to play as the second pairing RD into the future. He is in the second and final year of a bridge deal that pays him $2.2 million AAV and is an RFA after the season. The 24-year-old would absolutely have many suitors if he's available, but the price won't be cheap and he might just be used to land a larger fish.

Soucy makes a lot of sense to move though. He is a 31-year-old on the last year of his deal at $3.25 million AAV and he is a UFA after the season. The Rangers will surely be shopping someone better for his role on the second pairing come the offseason when more of the retooling will happen. But for now, Soucy can fetch the Rangers something and someone like Matthew Robertson would have the opportunity to play some more and show what he has in an elevated role.

The Rangers should be looking to move their pending UFAs and testing the water on a number of other players. This group hasn't worked, but not everyone is the problem. New York is a place many want to play in around the league, so that's not the problem. But the way things are run and the lack of success these past two seasons may hurt matters a little.

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