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I have long been a fan of Cory Schneider and believe he was one of the few truly elite goaltenders in the NHL for a handful of years.
Unfortunately, that's no longer the case.
While injuries were surely a factor in Schneider's disastrous 2017-18 campaign, in which he went *months* without recording a win despite playing on a team that made the playoffs, I don't think it's accurate to blame them entirely.
The wheels were starting to come off long before last season and Schneider's numbers reflect that.
His 5v5 save percentage has dipped in three consecutive years. His dSV% (the difference between save percentage and expected save percentage) has gone from a big positive to a negative. His high-danger save percentage has dipped almost 4% and his Goals Saved Above Average has dropped nearly 15 from the time he was at the peak of his powers.
Injuries could have played a role in why the drop in performance was so drastic but, again, the decline was already happening. He was healthy in 2016-17 – he played in 60+ games for just the 2nd time – and still had a bad season.
That shouldn't be too surprising given Schneider's age. Goaltenders *can* have longer peaks than skaters but it's not as if they're immune to Father Time. A few years ago
Garik16 wrote a piece at HockeyGraphs on how goaltenders age and reached the following conclusions:
1. Goalies don’t improve as they get older
2. By age 30, goalie decline starts to get REALLY noticeable
3. By mid-30s, even with the aging line, goalies rapidly start to fall apart
Oddly enough, Schneider's two worst seasons were at 30-31 and 31-32 – the same time "goalie decline starts to get REALLY noticeable." Imagine that.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Schneider's numbers improve a little bit next season if he's fully healthy. It'd be hard not to. In saying that, he is clearly not the goaltender he once was and it's entirely possible – even likely – things will be worse in a couple years.
If the Devils are expecting Schneider to return to his old form, and play like the top-10 goaltender he's being paid to be for the next four years, they're almost certainly going to be disappointed.
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