The New York Islanders are finalizing a deal with veteran goaltender Cory Schneider, according to TSN hockey insider Pierre LeBrun. Details of the contract were not yet available at the time of publication.
Schneider Can Finally Put Up-and-Down Devil Days Behind Him
Schneider’s seven-season tenure with the Devils was a tumultuous one, to say the least, and he’d likely like to forget about the last few seasons of his career.
Schneider was traded to the Devils in June, 2013 after making 98 appearances with the Vancouver Canucks over parts of five seasons to begin his career. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound butterfly net minder quickly became one of the Devils’ few bright spots, putting up elite numbers.
In 2013-14, he posted a 1.97 GAA, .921 SV%, and three shutouts. In 2014-15, he posted a 2.26 GAA, .925 SV%, and five shutouts. In 2015-16, he posted a 2.15 GAA, .924 SV%, and four shutouts. However, the Devils missed the playoffs in all three campaigns.
Schneider has never been never the same since undergoing hip surgery in May, 2018. He struggled mightily over his last two seasons with the Devils — at one point, he had a 14-month winless streak between December 2017 and February 2019 in which he went 0-17-4 — and lost the starting role to Keith Kinkaid. Last season, MacKenzie Blackwood received most of the starts.
Last November, the Devils placed Schneider on waivers and he suited up for the AHL’s Binghamton Devils. Last week, the Devils bought out the final two seasons of his contract that carried a $6 million AAV.
Schneider Will Join Islanders as a Veteran Presence
By signing the deal, Schneider has indicated he’s willing to give restarting his stalled career a go rather than retire. With the Islanders, he’ll reunite with general manager Lou Lamoriello, who dealt for Schneider as GM of the Devils.
The Islanders — who advanced to the Eastern Conference Final in this summer’s playoffs — have starting goalie Semyon Varlamov locked up for another three seasons. However, they recently lost backup Thomas Greiss as he signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
The main question is whether Schneider will be given an opportunity to challenge Ilya Sorokin for the number-two NHL gig in 2020-21 or if he’s been signed simply to replace Christopher Gibson as the starting goalie for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
In 419 career appearances and 388 starts between the Canucks and Devils, Schneider owns an all-time record of 170-159-58 with a 2.43 GAA, .918 SV%, and 26 shutouts. He was originally selected by the Canucks 26th overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
