Schneider debate gains steam in Vancouver
Should Canucks backup stay or go?
Vancouver / Join us now as we plunge into shark-infested waters, fully aware of the perils, of the certain management pooh-poohing to come, of the arguments and counterarguments, and of the impending umbrage of the most combustible fan base this side of Montreal (minus the 24 Stanley Cups).
To you, we present the great Cory Schneider debate, known to many fans outside Vancouver (and Winnipeg) as: “Schneider … Schneider … where do I know that name from?” Should the Vancouver Canucks trade Roberto Luongo’s gifted, playoffready backup goalie at the deadline, or at the very least, shop him in advance of it, to see what they might snag? Or should they keep the big redhead as playoff insurance before dealing him at the June draft?
The debate rears its head anew each time Schneider steps between the pipes and excels, as he did most notably in a 43-save, 3-2 November win at San Jose, January’s still-echoing 4-3 road thriller in Boston, and in Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks.
No slouches, those teams, and no coincidence that the backup has been in goal to face them. He is either being prepped for a potentially bigger playoff role (unlikely), or showcased (more likely) or merely keeping Luongo’s workload down (definitely).
Whatever the reason given, the Schneider-luongo conundrum is becoming a recurring theme, intriguing even to the many-headed national TV panels, and is sure to remain so in the 25 days before the trade deadline.
A conspicuous asset, largely wasted on the market where he is currently employed, will do that. Usually it’s when a team going nowhere has a good player it cannot re-sign, but sometimes it happens when a team that is (or thinks it is) on the cusp of greatness has a clear surplus at one position and a clear need at another.
Enter the Canucks, who had two chances to win one game for the Stanley Cup last spring, yet weren’t really very close, by the end.
But do they have enough to go all the way? Or is their window of opportunity to win a Cup — and the windows are seemingly much narrower, these days, everywhere but Detroit — in danger of closing, if they don’t make the most of this run? Can they risk losing another chance because of a move they were reluctant to make?
The “trade him now” argument is pretty straightforward.
He’s not much use to the Canucks, manning the gate to the bench in April (and possibly May and June). Backup goalies almost never win a team the Stanley Cup, and usually only get in when the cause is lost. Last year, Schneider came in after Luongo was yanked in three games — two against Chicago, one in Boston — and he started Game 6 of the Chicago series. The Canucks lost all of them.
But he is so fundamentally sound, as anyone who sees him regularly knows — and at 25, still entering prime time — that if general manager Mike Gillis finds the right trading partner, he might net the Canucks the sort of impact player that would allow them to survive the two-month playoff grind this time: a no-nonsense power forward or a plausible top-four defenceman.
The more cautious “hold onto him” case is not without merit, either.
The Canucks were badly battered by the time of the Cup final last year and they still got to Game 7. They could do so again, without losing Schneider, and maybe this time be luckier.
If they traded Schneider on or before Feb. 27, Luongo would have to play almost all the games in the last six weeks of the regular season, meaning that the plan for him to be daisy-fresh in the playoffs would be down the tubes.
And then, of course: who, exactly, is that trading partner?
The only teams needing a crack goaltender at the deadline are teams with ideas of making a long run. Anyone else could wait until June.
Here’s what seems to tip the scales: the playoffs in the West, this year, are going to be frightening. Just emerging alive on the other side is going to take all hands on deck.
Can the Canucks afford to have one of those hands tied behind their back, wearing a baseball cap?