Martin Brodeur’s time with the New Jersey Devils might be over, but if the three-time Stanley Cup champ ends up re-signing with the only NHL club he’s known, the head coach won’t mind one bit.
“I don’t know what the future holds. If he comes back, we welcome him with open arms,” Peter DeBoer told Brady and Walker on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Tuesday. “You can never have enough great goaltending. And if he’s not, and decides to move on, then I wish him all the best and I always will appreciate what he did for us during my time in New Jersey.”
Peter DeBoer talks Martin Brodeur, Cory Schneider and Jaromir Jagr
“I got to see firsthand what separates him from the other goalies in the history of the game,” DeBoer added. “His ability to raise his game at key moments under pressure, at key times, it was a real privilege to witness that firsthand. We wouldn’t have got back in the [Stanley Cup] Final two years ago without him.”
The 42-year-old pending unrestricted free agent is coming off one of his worst seasons, statistically speaking, as he split time with Cory Schneider whom the team traded for at last summer’s draft.
It appears evident that Schneider is the Devils’ goalie of the future and will be the starter next season.
“He’s the real deal,” DeBoer said of the 28-year-old Marblehead, Mass., native. “When you think back to the circumstance of what he went through in Vancouver and coming into not an identical circumstance but a similar one with Marty and us in New Jersey, how he handled himself and his professionalism throughout and his level of play this past year for us, it’s remarkable.
“He’s ready to be a starter. I think he wants to be a starter. I don’t think there’s any secret about that. We’re excited to have him as a part of our organization here.”
Brodeur has yet to announce whether he plans to re-sign with the Devils, test free agency or retire from pro hockey.
“It’s not out of the question that the Devils will be in the running for me to come back,” Brodeur told reporters in April after his final start of the season. “I haven’t talked to [Devils GM Lou Lamoriello] about what he wants to do with backing up [Schneider]. Again, if I am mentally ready to do that job, I am going to look for the Devils a little bit. Right now I’m keeping everything open. We’ll see what [Lamoriello] feels is the best for the organization. It’s not about me anymore. I’m free. He’s not stuck with me anymore.”
The four-time Vezina Trophy winner is the NHL’s all-time leader in wins with 688 and shutouts with 124.