After years of expectations, the New Jersey Devils finally have a competitive team that can dream big. The three-time Stanley Cup champions have long been waiting for a complete team that can battle and vie for the fourth trophy.
Following their runner-up finish in 2012, the Newark-based team faced multiple eliminations, missing the playoffs in all subsequent seasons except for 2017-18, when they fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, and 2022-23.
The team underwent extensive restructuring and acquired gems in the draft, such as Jack Hughes, but there is still a journey ahead. Ironically, the team’s significant challenge lies precisely in the position where it perhaps had the greatest success in its history: goaltending.
It’s a known fact that goaltenders can alter the course of a playoff series. It’s also natural for fans who witnessed Martin Brodeur‘s incredible career and cinematic saves to desire and demand a high-caliber goalie.
Perhaps even more than for other teams, goalies in New Jersey feel pressure to perform. So why haven’t the Devils secured a standout goalie to close the gap and finally confirm their status as one of the NHL’s best teams? It’s certainly not for lack of attempts.
Cory Schneider & Corey Crawford
Cory Schneider, a first-round pick (26th overall) in the 2004 NHL Draft, arrived in New Jersey with the mission to be Brodeur’s successor. He had an interesting career with the Vancouver Canucks, helping them reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2010-11.
Related: Canucks: A Look Back at the Bo Horvat for Cory Schneider Trade
Schneider became the starter in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. The trade garnered significant attention at the time, with Schneider coming to the Devils in exchange for the ninth pick, which became Bo Horvat.
While Brodeur approached retirement, Schneider was finding his prime form (1.97 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in 45 games during 2013-14). He had good seasons in the following years, but the team as a whole did not fare well. Injuries also hampered him throughout his history with the Devils.
The issue wasn’t goaltending but defensemen who underperformed and linemates who simply didn’t deliver enough to snag the team postseason berths other than in 2017-18.
How many words are needed to describe Corey Crawford? His list of accolades is…
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