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New Jersey Devils: Three replacements for Cory Schneider

By Vincent Parise

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - FEBRUARY 19: Patrick Warburton who played the part of David Puddy on the TV show Seinfeld greets Cory Schneider #35 of the New Jersey Devils prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Prudential Center on February 19, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils gave out 'Puddy' bobble head dolls before the game. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - FEBRUARY 19: Patrick Warburton who played the part of David Puddy on the TV show Seinfeld greets Cory Schneider #35 of the New Jersey Devils prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Prudential Center on February 19, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils gave out 'Puddy' bobble head dolls before the game. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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New Jersey Devils Cory Schneider
(Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /

The New Jersey Devils need to find a replacement for Cory Schneider.

The New Jersey Devils announced on Thursday that they are going to buy out the contract of Cory Schneider. They are going to let him go to a new team for free as they look to get relief from his $6 million cap hit. His tenure in New Jersey was a tale of two eras but there is little doubt that he was an elite goalie for a long time.

When he first came to New Jersey, they couldn’t score a goal to save their lives. They were one of the worst offensive teams in the league but Schneider kept them in games. As they started to get younger and faster, Schneider started to become less and less effective. It was tough to watch as fans but it was becoming clear that he was no longer the goalie that we once knew.

After a while, Mackenzie Blackwood started to come along. He has developed nicely, and now he looks like the guy who might be able to be their number one goalie for a long time. As true as that may be, they need another guy. The NHL is a two goalie league and the Devils showed us why in 2019-20. There aren’t many options in the organization for the time being so they might have to look to the outside.

This year’s free-agent goalie market is crazy. There are some big names that will be available to them if they wanted to give it a try. They probably aren’t giving out many long-term deals right now, but if they can get someone to agree to a shorter cheaper deal, it is worth exploring. These are the three free agent goalies that New Jersey should go for to replace Schneider:

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