Not even Brady Skjei feels safe from Rangers’ trade potential

Job security is all relative, especially in the NHL and especially around this time of year.

All it takes to drive home that point is a few minutes talking to Brady Skjei, the lone Ranger signed beyond the 2021-22 season. As the 24-year-old defenseman knows, there are a few players on his team who are more than likely going to be traded before the Feb. 25 deadline, and that is mostly because of their expiring contracts. But despite having signed a six-year, $31.5 million deal this past summer, he still lives with uncertainty.

“You never know,” Skjei told The Post on Monday morning before his team’s Garden match against the Kings. “The team invested in you for a long period of time, that makes you feel a little extra good. Still, you never know. If somebody gets offered a big deal, you never know what’s going to happen. But the organization has a lot of trust in me as a player and a person, so that’s good to know.”

It’s true that the organization does think very highly of the fresh-faced Minnesotan, which is why the start to this season was so worrisome. For all of his skating ability and good offensive instincts, Skjei struggled and lost confidence. Suddenly, the contract looked more albatross than security blanket.

“Obviously the start of the year was tough. Might have been overthinking a little too much,” Skjei said. “I don’t think it was contract or anything like that, but it might creep into your mind a little bit, put a little extra pressure on yourself knowing you’re a bigger part of the team. I feel like the last probably month or so, I feel like I’ve settled in. I’m playing well.”

What has helped Skjei settle in was the Dec. 16 return of steady partner Adam McQuaid after a two-month absence due to a lower-body injury. When Skjei plays with a stay-at-home defenseman like McQuaid, it enables him to more freely jump up into the play and use his premier skating ability. When he was paired with another offensive player, like Tony DeAngelo, it became a bit chaotic. That unsettling feeling led to Skjei making poor reads and bad decisions with the puck, and watching as the lack of confidence snowballed.

“With Adam, he still can, but more often than not, it’s probably me that’s going to jump up in the play,” Skjei said. “Personally, that allows me to try to get my offense going, try to produce some off the rush and use my speed to join it. Knowing that I probably have the green light most of the time is pretty nice.”

It has been very beneficial for first-year head coach David Quinn to have Skjei back playing at a high level. Quinn had played him over 20 minutes in each of the past six games, and that is almost all 5-on-5.

It’s in stark contrast to either time Quinn chose to scratch Skjei, one two-game stretch in mid-November and another one-game benching on Dec. 2 against the Jets.

“I think there is much more anticipation in his game,” Quinn said. “I think one of the things that was happening earlier in the year was there wasn’t a lot of anticipation, defensively or offensively. I think one of the things he’s done a better of job, there is more anticipation of what his responsibilities are, no matter what zone he’s in. He’s been more decisive, and he’s just playing with more confidence.”

And still, he looks across the locker room and sees Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes, two players who are likely to be traded and two friends who have been on the team with him since he came up for a cup of coffee in 2015-16 and then became a permanent fixture the following season. Even McQuaid might get dealt.

“Love them as guys, and you want them to have the most success they can. Obviously don’t want to see them leave,” Skjei said. “But at the end of the day, everyone knows it’s a business. Sometimes you have to make hard decisions. Obviously we love them in here, it just stinks when they go.”