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New Jersey Devils: Cory Schneider and Mackenzie Blackwood the New Tandem

By Vincent Parise

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 21: Cory Schneider #35 of the New Jersey Devils defends his net against the Ottawa Senators during the game at Prudential Center on February 21, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 21: Cory Schneider #35 of the New Jersey Devils defends his net against the Ottawa Senators during the game at Prudential Center on February 21, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The New Jersey Devils have decided to sell. Everyone saw that coming. What was a question mark, was whether or not they would be able to move their struggling backup goaltender on an expiring contract. That answer now, is yes.

They moved Keith Kinkaid to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a 5th-round pick. That might not be the return anyone thought they would get, but with a record of 15-18-6, a 3.36 goals against average, and a .891 save percentage, he probably didn’t garner much interest.

That is not to say that Keith Kinkaid is a bad goalie because he is not. The 2018-19 Devils are not an easy team to play goalie for. They aren’t great defensively and without Taylor Hall in the lineup for a long stretch here, their possession numbers aren’t great. They also do not score as much without Hall as they would with him adding even more pressure to the netminders.

Even though he had a tough season and some fans turned on him, Devils fans should appreciate what Keith Kinkaid did down the stretch in 2017-18. Without his brilliance they do not make the playoffs. We wish him luck in Columbus.

Now going forward, Cory Schneider and MacKenzie Blackwood are the tandem. Schneider is on a contract for a few more years and he seems to have his grove back from a few years ago when he was one of the game’s elites. If Schneider can completely grab the net back and be his old self, things will be okay next year and beyond.

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As for Blackwood, in a short sample size he has had a great start to his NHL career. In 13 games played he has a record of 6-4-0 and a 2.37 goals against average and a .926 save percentage. This is all great, but like mentioned before it is a short sample size.

The nice thing is that he is only 22 years old. That means he can only go up as time goes on. If he can keep this up as he gains experience then a Schneider/Blackwood tandem could be really good for the team moving forward into year. Schneider will probably get a bulk of the starts as the #1 for now. He started playing well right in time to assume that spot back for the team.

The tandem will move into next year with everyone healthy and some new additions and they should be ready to compete for a playoff spot once again.

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