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The Cory Schneider era in New Jersey appears to be over. At least as far as being the starter goes.
The 33-year-old was placed on waivers Monday afternoon. Unsurprisingly, nobody was willing to take a chance on a struggling goaltender carrying a $6 million cap hit through 2021-22.
As such, Louis Domingue will take over as the NHL backup while Schneider tries to piece things together in Binghamton.
A lot of people are happy to see Schneider off the team. I get it in that he’s making a ton of money and no longer providing much – any? – value on the ice.
But I don’t think people should be celebrating that the door is slamming in Schneider’s face on the way out.
Yes, the last couple of years have been disastrous. Schneider dealt with injuries, struggled mightily, and lost all his confidence. Almost each start was a nightmare for Schneider and, honestly, it was tough to watch.
But this is the same guy who posted a .921 save percentage or better for six consecutive seasons, three of which came as the undisputed starter on the New Jersey Devils. This is the same guy who would routinely be left out to dry, stop 38 of 40 in a 2-1 loss, and take all the blame for defeat as if he should have fared better.
Schneider was legitimately one of the league’s top goaltenders for a long, long, time and posted numbers that rival the best we’ve ever seen.
He didn’t get the credit he deserved because the Devils weren’t even capable of scoring on a soccer net during that time and, as a result, the team success wasn’t there.
Put another way, he was great while the team was bad. They took much too long to figure things out and, now, it’s too late. At least for Schneider.
We shouldn’t be pointing and laughing that father time, and injuries, have derailed the career of someone once so great. We should be thankful we were able to watch Schneider perform at such a high level, and sorry his efforts went to waste.
Let’s hope Mackenzie Blackwood has a better fate.
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