The New Jersey Devils made a surprising move in the offseason. The team already has veteran goalie Martin Brodeur. The 20-year veteran has owned the goal in New Jersey since 1990 after drafting him in the first round of the draft. There has never been a question as to who will be the starter until now.
The Devils made a trade on draft day for Vancouver Canucks goalie Cory Schneider. The team opted to trade away their sometimes backup, sometimes starter goalie in favor of veteran Roberto Luongo and his oversized contract. This leaves a few questions lingering in New Jersey.
At this point in Schneider's career, he is not a backup. He replaced Luongo as the starter in Vancouver and proved to be worthy of the position. Schneider clearly represents the future of the New Jersey Devils, but who represents the present?
"Those things sort themselves out. Marty's back. Marty's our starting goaltender and we've got a fantastic 1A in Cory Schneider,' head coach Peter DeBoer said.
So that settles who will be in the net for at least the first game, but this situation could turn into a battle much like the scenario Schneider was involved in while with the Canucks. Schneider is certainly used to sharing the goal, but is not viewing himself as a backup.
"It's similar to Vancouver. It's good to have two guys who can play the position and with what Marty's done for that team and the kind of player he is, he's going to compete hard and probably get every opportunity just like I will, and that's how it should be. It's an open competition, and we're both going to want to get that starting job," Schneider sad, via NorthJersey.com.
Schneider understands that he does not come with the same resume as Brodeur. The veteran is the all-time leader with 669 wins and 121 shutouts. He has three Stanley Cup trophies to his name along with four Vezina Trophies given to the league's best goaltender.
Brodeur sent Schneider a congratulatory text message after the trade was announced, but the two have not spoken since. Devils fans can rest assure knowing that the two players will not become enemies. Schneider became great friends with Luongo while the two were competing and he hopes the same thing happens with Brodeur.
"You don't have to become enemies or not like each other just because you're competing for the same spot."
