New Jersey Devils: Is Trading Cory Schneider Possible?

A rumor swirling around Twitter claims that an NHL radio station floated the idea that the San Jose Sharks asked the New Jersey Devils about Cory Schneider. Is it at all possible that a team could want his services at this point?

Sometimes in sports, the impossible is possible. An Asian-American basketball player from Harvard once took over Madison Square Garden for weeks. A media-darling quarterback who was known more for praying than he was his throwing arm once beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs. An eight seed once won all but one game on it’s way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Crazy things happen in sports sometimes.

We’re used to crazy things happening on the field, but when something insane happens in trade negotiations, it really makes us think about the organizations we worship. Crazy things happen all the time in trades, like losing Taylor Hall for an above average second-line defenseman. However, just two weeks ago it looked impossible for the New Jersey Devils to lose Cory Schneider‘s behemoth contract.

Schneider is still owed $18 million over three seasons after this one is over. That’s a ton of money for most goalies, but it’s a fortune for a soon-to-be 33 year old who’s clearly lost his prime two years ago.

Schneider’s numbers are all-time bad for most of this season. He won his first game in over a year last week in a relief effort. His .883 save percentage is worse than any qualifying goaltender in the league (technically, Schneider doesn’t qualify, but still). He’d be tied with Cam Ward with the worst goals against average in the league. These are all bad things.

However, Schneider looks like a different goalie since returning from injury. More importantly, Schneider says he feels like a different goalie. That’s great news for the Devils. He felt like a sunk cost, and it was possible the Devils would need to buy him out in the offseason. Now, we’re talking about pairing Schneider with Mackenzie Blackwood to make a formidable duo.

Today, a Devils fan floated a rumor that the San Jose Sharks have asked the Devils about Schneider. That’s something that almost seems impossible. Schneider looks like he was done with the National Hockey League as a premiere player. He kept getting hurt, and when he was on the ice, he was ineffective.

Still, if a team asks, Ray Shero has to answer, right? Getting any value for Schneider has to be a win. Right?

More from Pucks and Pitchforks

• Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
• New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
• New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
• New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
• Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?

It’s a harder question now than it was a few weeks ago, but it all depends on a few factors. Are the Devils ready to give the reigns to Mackenzie Blackwood without any backup plan? Is Schneider’s contract enough to send him away for little to nothing? How much contract would the Devils be willing to eat in the deal?

The Sharks would likely ask the Devils to eat the maximum allowed, but that won’t happen. No chance that Shero would eat $3 million a year just to get rid of his asset. If he got something decent in return, he might eat $2 million, however.

That would leave the Sharks on the hook for a $4 million goalie. It sounds bad, especially since they are paying Martin Jones close to $6 million a season. That means for the next three seasons, they are paying $10 million per season on goalies.

That is, unless Jones is part of the deal. When it comes to a Schneider trade, it doesn’t sound like it would be something simple like the goalie going to the team for a sixth-round pick. It sounds more like a trade that involves multiple teams, a couple prospects going each way, and every team getting a new starting goalie.

Or, there’s the possibility the Devils are willing to take five more years of Martin Jones, who’s clearly just having an extremely down year and is still on the right side of 30 (although not for long). Either way, it seems like the Sharks are going to waste their season on a bad goalie.

At this point, the Sharks put all their eggs in this year’s basket. They traded for Erik Karlsson at the beginning of the season, gave major money to re-sign Evander Kane, brought back Joe Thornton for one more season, gave Logan Couture an eight-year deal, and even tried offering John Tavares $13 million. They want this more than ever, but with Jones posting an .896 save percentage, it seems the Sharks would need a better backup plan than Aaron Dell.

It’s not worth speculating what they could give up for Schneider. If they offer a sixth-round pick in 2021 and will take on the full contract, take it. However, there’s no chance it’s that easy. However, it looks like it’s at least possible.