Has Cory Schneider Lost His Edge as a Goalie?

At 31 years old, it seemed like Cory Schneider was going to take his game to another level this season and get the New Jersey Devils back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Instead, it seemed like his game has taken a step back this season.

Schneider has appeared in 57 games this season. His current record is 20-24-11 with a 2.71 GAA and a .911 save percentage, along with two shutouts.

That is worse than last seasons output which was a record of 27-25-6 with a 2.15 GAA and a .924 save percentage, along with four shutouts.

He is under contract for another five years and Schneider is a free agent in the summer of 2022.

Will he even be in New Jersey by then? Also, he has given up some weak goals this season, that he would not have last season.

Keith Kinkaid has played some more games down the stretch to see what he has in the tank, but he isn't that impressive.

He is a free agent at the end of the season and they will most likely not resign him.

The backup role could possibly belong to 24-year old goalie Scott Wedgewood, but he has a history of shoulder injuries. He only appeared in ten games this season and his record was 5-3 with a 2.18 GAA and a .912 save percentage.

Wedgewood is also a free agent at the end of the season. They could resign him, but the goalie most likely to replace Schneider down the road is 20-year old goalie Mackenzie Blackwood.

He appeared in 29 games at the AHL level this season with a record of 13-11-3 with a .904 save percentage, along with one shutout.

Maybe Schneider didn't lose his edge as a goalie, but maybe he needs stiffer competition behind him. If he looks shaky again next season, maybe they will try the younger goalies.