The New Jersey Devils have made it official: Cory Schneider is their new franchise goaltender.
The Devils announced Wednesday afternoon that they have signed Schneider to a multiyear contract extension. He still has one year remaining on his current deal, so the extension will kick into effect for the 2015-16 season.
The Star-Ledger’s Rich Chere reported that Schneider’s deal is a seven-year contract worth $42 million. That $6 million annual average is $2 million more than the goalie averaged in his previous contract.
Schneider just finished his first season with the Devils after they acquired him in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks at the 2013 NHL draft. The Marblehead, Mass., native and Boston College product appeared in 46 games and posted a 16-15-12 record with a 1.97 goals against average and .921 save percentage last season. He also posted three shutouts after leading the league with five shutouts in 2013.
The Devils have all but moved on from Martin Brodeur, who remains an unrestricted free agent. Brodeur saw a lot of the workload in 2013-14, so the upcoming season will be Schneider’s first real chance to be a legitimate No. 1 goalie. He has yet to make more than 45 appearances in an NHL season.
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