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Due to Fox’s unavailability, Nils Lundkvist was recalled to the active roster, but Zac Jones withdrew from the lineup instead. Jones was paired with Libor Hajek, while Braden Schneider replaced Fox on the right-hand side of Ryan Lindgren on Friday.
The Rangers also recalled striker Tim Gettinger and reassigned Morgan Barron to the taxi crew.
Igor Shesterkin missed 31 of the 34 shots he received in the loss.
Schneider’s NHL career is just eight games old, but Gallant has already compared the 20-year-old defender to a nine-season veteran.
That veteran is his Rangers teammate, Jacob Trouba, who is in the midst of his most effective season in New York. The resemblance is certainly there, with Trouba being just an inch taller and a few pounds heavier than Schneider. But it’s their shared bulldozer style of play that has mostly drawn comparisons between the two.
Braden Schneider tries to control the pucks during the Rangers’ loss to the Wild. USA TODAY Sports
“I think that would be a perfect way to say it,” Schneider said of Gallant calling him a mini-Trouba. “I think we have a lot in common with our games, and he’s a guy I’d love to model parts of my game after. It’s great that I can see and learn every game firsthand.”
Even Trouba has acknowledged the similarities, which also prompted him to joke about the possibility that Schneider would eventually take his job. For now, the Rangers can take advantage of both Trouba and Schneider.
Schneider, who was picked 19th by the Rangers in the 2020 draft after trading three places for him, looked incredibly stable in a small sample of games.
Schneider has skated in the last eight games, including Friday’s game with the Wild, and Schneider said he feels like he’s starting to settle in. He has logged the most minutes alongside Patrik Nemeth, who is currently out for personal reasons, and Hajek.
