New Jersey Devils Waive Cory Schneider
By Mike Luci
Preceded by news of calling up Louis Domingue, the New Jersey Devils announced they will be placing goaltender Cory Schneider on waivers at noon today, for the purpose of being assigned to the Binghamton Devils (AHL).
Despite a strong preseason showing and a strong start during the Devil’s home opener—which he left mid-game due to injury—Schneider has since struggled mightily this season. To date, the 33-year-old netminder has an abysmal 0-4-1 record with a 4.59 GAA and .852 save percentage. Between his mournful numbers and recent upstanding play of Mackenzie Blackwood, Schneider’s phasing out on the Devils roster seemed like a rising inevitability at this point.
If the waiving of Schneider send any sort of message, it’s that the New Jersey Devils have officially committed to Mackenzie Blackwood as their starter, a topic we previously covered. Looking back, the writing has been on the wall since Blackwood has started in all but one game this November. Over that span, Blackwood went 5-2-1, posting a 2.62 GAA and .918 SV%. The 22-year old undoubtedly earned his current status as the team’s starter and has been instrumental in New Jersey’s above .500 play (5-3-1) this month.
Schneider’s only November start was a 4-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Prior to November, his last start was a 7-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 30, a game where the Devils squandered a 5-3 third period lead, before losing in overtime.
While we can merely speculate, it remains to be seen what this move says about whether or not General Manager Ray Shero believes this team is capable of overcoming their 0-4-2 start to the season that’s kept them anchored well below the wild card threshold in the standings. As of writing this, the New Jersey Devils currently sit 13th in the Eastern Conference, but (despite their 7-8-4 record) are just six points out of a playoff spot.
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To reiterate, waiving Schneider does affirm the New Jersey Devils will move forward with Blackwood as their starting netminder, but does raise a few questions that are currently unanswered—Will today’s transactions lead to future moves (such as a trade)? What does this say about Schneider’s future with the organization? Did Schneider re-injure himself (a possibility a lot of Devils fans and writers/analysts are overlooking)? Does Blackwood have what it takes to play his role in helping turn this team’s season around?
Only time will tell, but for the New Jersey Devils fans that have been incessantly demanding some sort of shakeup to this roster, waiving Schneider is a solid start.