New Jersey Devils coach Peter DeBoer says nobody in the NHL is more deserving of the chance he's about to get than Cory Schneider.
Schneider will enter 2014-15 as the Devils' undisputed No. 1 goalie, armed with a multiyear contract extension he signed Wednesday.
"This guy more than anybody in the organization and maybe in the League deserves that opportunity," DeBoer told Northjersey.com on Tuesday. "He's waited for the opportunity. He's done all the right things. I'm really looking forward [to] the level he can get to playing 60, 65 games."
Schneider played 45 last season, his first with the Devils after splitting time on the Vancouver Canucks with Roberto Luongo.
With veteran Scott Clemmensen and prospect Keith Kinkaid as New Jersey's backups, Schneider is almost certain to play most of its games.
"I don't have any doubt he's going to thrive with that type of workload," DeBoer said.
Schneider, 28, was third in the NHL with a 1.97 goals-against average last season, and 13th with a .921 save percentage.
Martin Brodeur played 39 games last season and has not signed elsewhere as a free agent.
"It's tough to close that chapter (with Brodeur)," DeBoer told the website. "I was only fortunate enough to catch the last three years of it, but feel privileged and honored to have been able to work with him for three years. I'll never forget the run he took us on two years ago (to the Stanley Cup Final) and the level he played at. Obviously, I wish him all the best."
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