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With absolutely nothing happening in the hockey world right now, and for the foreseeable future, I’ve decided to take the plunge and write player profiles for each member of the New Jersey Devils.
As was the case when I did them last summer, we’ll be looking at the season they just put together and expectations moving forward.
I’ve written up eight players thus far, with Travis Zajac being the most recent.
Today we’re going with Cory Schneider
Counting stats: 13 games played, 3-6-2, .887 save percentage
5v5 underlyings: .900 save percentage, .795 high-danger save percentage, -3.47 goals saved above average
2019-20 review: Schneider was mostly a disaster in 2018-19. Mostly. That’s the key word here because Schneider put together a fantastic string of games to end the season, posting a .927 save percentage from February 15th onward.
That glimmer of life, coupled with the financials involved, led the Devils to give Schneider another kick at the can. It was a mistake. Realistically speaking, it’d be hard to envision things working out more poorly than they did for Schneider.
He allowed 26 goals over his first six appearances of the year, zero of which were wins. This while conceding three or more in every start and stopping ~85% of the shots he faced.
Schneider’s struggles – especially early – led to a larger workload for Mackenzie Blackwood. That has proven to be a positive, but there’s still no denying the Devils would have been better served replacing Schneider.
He entered the season as the 1A starter, after all, and won just three games prior to the NHL going on pause. His save percentage (.887) did not even sniff league average (.905).
Even playing behind a tirefire of a defense, Schneider should have been able to provide more.
Fun fact(s): Schneider ranked 61st – ahead of only Michael Hutchinson, Martin Jones, Jimmy Howard, Sam Montembeault and Louis Domingue – with a GSAA/60 of -0.52.
2020-21 outlook: Schneider’s days with the Devils are numbered. At least they should be.
He hasn’t posted a save percentage *above* .908 since 2015-16. His numbers in that category have dropped in five consecutive seasons. He is also 33 with an injury history.
As much as I love Schneider – he was a boss for years and didn’t get the credit he deserved due to an incompetent supporting cast – his best days are long behind him.
Expecting him to give you even 20-25 average games seems like a stretch. He may catch on as a backup elsewhere – I hope he does – but the Devils simply have to pull the plug at this point.
Blackwood is a keeper (no pun intended). Now the Devils need to find somebody reliable to pair with him.
numbers via naturalstattrick.com and hockey-reference.com
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