It's time to feel sorry for Cory Schneider again. After being traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the New Jersey Devils, it looked like Schneider's days of sitting on the bench were over. Lo and behold, Schneider is once again struggling to find playing time and is trapped behind another goaltender. Replace Roberto Luongo with Martin Brodeur and you have Schneider's frustrating 2013-14 which is starting to resemble 2012-13.
Schneider's comment from Fire & Ice says it all:
It’s Groundhog Day for me. I can’t seem to escape it. I’m just trying to work hard and do what I can. I’d just like to see the ice a bit more is all.
Brodeur has played well this season and has been the face of the franchise for almost two decades, but it's clear the future lies in Schneider's hands. Brodeur will eventually hang up his skates, possibly as early as at the end of this season, and the team will need to turn to a new face in net. Schneider seems like the obvious choice, but the Devils keep starting Brodeur in his place.
Schneider also said:
Again, Marty’s playing really well. He’s got the net. He’s running with it. It’s part of the game, but I just feel at this point in my career it’s something where I’d like to play more.
It's a tricky situation for the Devils. You want to let Brodeur exit on a high note and you want to prepare for the future. However, the last thing you want to do is run a perfectly good goaltender out of town because you're giving a different netminder an extended farewell tour.
