Is Cory Schneider the Vancouver Canucks’ new top goalie? That might the question dominating many bars in the Vancouver area, but Alain Vigneault probably cares most about the here-and-now. Let’s just say the present is looking awfully good.
Schneider reeled off his fourth consecutive win by subduing an attacking San Jose Sharks team. The red-haired netminder made 43 saves as the Canucks managed to cling to a 3-2 win. Jeff Paterson reveals that Schneider now has a 97.5 percent save percentage during this streak, allowing just three goals in four phenomenal games.
As Joe points out, Roberto Luongo is likely the long-term guy in Vancouver. Whether that’s because he has the long-term contract or not is open to debate, but the bottom line is that Schneider is one of - if not the - best backups in the NHL, so why not take advantage of a hot streak?
Schneider will be a restricted free agent next summer, so everyone can potentially win (the Canucks, his accountant, his agent, etc). If the Canucks face a more expensive version of the Montreal Canadiens’ Jaroslav Halak vs. Carey Price situation when July 2012 comes, then that’s a better problem to have than owning zero NHL-caliber goalies overall.