Back on October 8th, 2020, the New Jersey Devils ended the tenure of Cory Schneider. It was a bittersweet day. Schneider was a shell of his former self. He hadn’t been good in a few years and he hadn’t been the Vezina Trophy level goalie he was in four years at that point. Hip injuries and other lower-body injuries really derailed his career. He went to the New York Islanders and Lou Lamoriello, the GM that originally traded for him to bring him to New Jersey, and he’s been on the bench ever since.
The Devils should call Lou and ask him if he’d be willing to let Schneider finish out his career back in New Jersey. The Islanders are equally as screwed this season when it comes to an actual playoff push, but the Islanders have two healthy goalies who are NHL-caliber. Meanwhile, the Devils have Jon Gillies as the main starter and a very young Akira Schmid as the backup. They’ve been unable to hold the Devils up enough to actually win games. Gillies has been fine, but he hasn’t been a “good” goalie. He makes some saves and a better team in front of him could win.
At this point, the Devils are just trying to avoid embarrassment. Imagine telling Jack Hughes that three years into his career he’d win 36% of his games since joining the league as the first-overall pick, he likely wouldn’t believe you. It’s time to at least put a competent team on the ice.
Taking a shot at Cory Schneider makes sense for New Jersey Devils.
Listen, these things happen. Teams have seasons that go in the tank from the start due to injuries. The Devils lost Jonathan Bernier, Mackenzie Blackwood, and Dougie Hamilton for weeks. Bernier is out for the season. There’s no way to lose your top defender and both your starting goalies and feel no repercussions from it. This is likely going to impact how some of the young players look at this situation. How does Jesper Bratt feel about playing for the Devils now that his contract is up and he can ask for whatever money he wants? Does Hughes regret signing his eight-year extension?
So what does all this have to do with Cory Schneider? The Devils just need someone competent in net right now. Schneider is two years removed from his injury-riddled seasons with the Devils. He is likely close to retirement, and to get a spot where he can stay close to his family while actually playing in the NHL might be appealing to him.
He’s going to turn 36 next month. His time in the NHL is limited. Schneider might be happy riding the pine for a team that isn’t going to make the playoffs. He might be content helping this team along before he rides off in the sunset. This might all be fine to Cory Schneider, who might want to make a little more money before he retires. However, if this isn’t, then the Devils should be a landing spot for him. If he doesn’t have a bad taste in his mouth, it’s the right time for the Devils to celebrate his time as he tried to replace a legend in Martin Brodeur. He gave everything to the Devils, and now he can truly help them when the team just needs someone to get them through this season.
Would Schneider be a “good” goalie? Probably not. It’s been two years since he even had somewhat of a regular role in net. However, it can’t get worse. The Devils need someone to provide something in goal, and Schneider has at least been practicing with NHL teams for a while now. The Islanders likely won’t ask for much to get him here, and the Devils could likely send an AHL player to make it happen.