The Schneider Dilemma

Any true armchair GM has had the following question bouncing around their head: 'What should the Canucks do with Cory Schneider?'

The decision as to whether to trade him really comes down to this comparison. One must compare the benefit that having Cory Schneider as a back up goalie provides with the benefit of having a player for which the Canucks could trade Schneider. The problem as I see it is that Cory's record and save percentage are essentially inflated by the fact that he played behind the far and away best team in the league during the regular season, and that he only started 22 games. You've only got to look one goalie up the depth chart to see what the impact over playing a goalie can have on their performance.

Considering the Canucks' General Manager Mike Gillis' ability as a salesperson (he was originally a player agent after all), I have immense faith in his ability to sell the .929 save percentage, 16-4-2 record, top young goalie side of Cory and diminish the unproven over the long run side of Cory. This is why I believe, if Gillis is as good as I think he is, that he can get a worthwhile deal for Schneider. This belief rises from the fact that his utility to a team which needs a starting goalie is much greater than his utility to a team which already has one locked down for the long run (and before all you lovable Luongo haters start screaming trade, it ain't happening).

What does this mean? It means that this is one of those very rare occasions where a trade can actually be very good for BOTH teams. Because the Canucks can trade a backup goalie and receive a 2nd pairing defenseman or a top-6 forward and the other team can receive a top goalie (the most important position in hockey) for a player of equal skill. Gillis does not have to try and cheat the other GM to benefit.

For those of you who assume Schneider ain't going, consider this: Luongo is 32 and is locked up for the next 11 seasons with a No Trade Clause. Suffice it to say he's not going anywhere. Schneider is a goalie with all the stats to indicate he has starting goalie caliber, but he is only 7 years younger that Luongo, which means that if the two of them retire at the same age, Schneider will only get to be a starting goalie for 7 years if he stays with the Canucks. Thus the logical conclusion is that Schneider will be traded. The question is not if, it's when and for whom.

Now for the fun part: Speculation time.

This list would have been entirely different had I written it before free agency, but unfortunately many of the strong teams that need goalies have traded to acquire them in what has been the most insane hockey summer ever. Let's look at some of the players that are viable options for a swap with Cory Schneider.

John Carlson
Carlson is a young two-way defenseman who plays for the Capitals. I personally think that Tomas Vokoun is to old and inconsistent to be make his recent acquisition by the Caps a deal breaker but the Caps GM George McPhee may disagree. In my opinion Carlson is as good as Erhoff (worse offensively, but better defensively), and at less than $1m a year and young he is in similar class as Schneider. This deal is a personal favorite.

Evander Kane
I personally think that Pavelec is barely a viable starting goalie, and for a team that is going to have revenue troubles like the Jets will, cost efficient players like Schneider (whose cap hit is 900k) are essential. $3.1m is not as cheap a price as I would like to see for this young hotshot, but he notched 19 goals and 43 points in 73 games for a mediocre team at the young age of 20. This leads me to believe that he would be a good fit for a team that is first of all going to be starting the season without many of its top-6 forwards, and as far as I am concerned has a weak 2nd line even when healthy. Acquiring a good 2nd liner like Kane would do more good than acquiring a bundle of mediocre second liners and long shots like Sturm and Nolan (respectively).

Jordan Eberle
With disturbingly similar stats to Evander Kane (one year older, four less games last season, same amount of points) and playing for a team loaded with young forward talent and lacking a reliable goalie, Jordan Eberle seems like a perfect match. And at $1.2m he is within a more desirable price range for the Canucks. The Oilers are desperate and if they start looking to wheel and deal this trade could go down.

Erik Karlsson
What's that, you want the Canucks to get a mobile defenseman who can create scoring like Erhoff could? Enter Erik Karlsson. This guy loves to get forward and has scored some very nifty goals. He is a great offensive defenseman and an ideal replacement for Erhoff, for only $1.3m and at 21 years of age. I do doubt, however, if the Senators would be willing to trade away one of the very few bright spots in their organization.

Those are my personal picks, and I would be glad to see any of them in a Canucks sweater, but they are certainly not the only possibilities, and I encourage you to leave your trade ideas and your thoughts on the Schneider situation in the comments.

Thanks for reading,

Edler Scissor-hands