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Lou Lamoriello said his No. 1 objective this summer was to sign Cory Schneider to a long-term extension, and he did just that Wednesday.

The Devils inked Schneider to a new seven-year, worth $6 million per year ($42M total) contract that will keep him a Devil through the 2021-22 campaign. Schneider had one year remaining on his contract, so with that he's signed for eight more seasons.

At age 28 he has plenty left in the tank, and goaltenders tend to age better than other players. His workload hasn't been as large as some goaltenders, either, so he doesn't have too much milage on him.

Schneider doesn't get as much talk as many other goaltenders, but he's been elite since he joined the NHL, and his numbers over the last four seasons are better than every other goaltender in the league.



Note: top-5 starters in SV% listed as well as a few other notables who didn't crack the top-5.

As you can see, since 2010 Schneider has the best save percentage and goals against average in hockey. Nobody has been better in between the pipes than Schneider, and his contract carries a lower cap hit and/or less term than almost every other goaltender listed.

Some are quick to point out Schneider's sample size isn't as large as Henrik Lundqvist's or Carey Price's. That may be true, but he's played 13 less games than Tuukka Rask over the last four years, posted better numbers on lesser teams and nobody blinked an eye when he signed a more lucrative deal.

As of now Schneider's set to be tied with Ryan Miller and Corey Crawford as the 6th highest paid goaltender in the NHL when his contract begins. The numbers suggest the Devils have the best goaltender in hockey signed with seven others making as much or more cap wise, and several more making more money over longer term.

If you look at this deal closely, it's hard to find many flaws. I typically wouldn't give more than five years to any goaltender, but that's the going rate and the Devils likely had to concede term to get their new franchise goalie locked up.

Any way you look at it, the Devils have one of the league's best goaltenders signed long-term for less than market value. Win, New Jersey.

Devils posts

Devils sign Cory Schneider to long-term extension

On Evander Kane and the constant trade rumors

Ryan Carter pivotal to 4th line success

On the signing of Martin Havlat

On the signing of Mike Cammalleri

Forwards for futures

The Devils aren't done

My in-depth Devils draft review

Jackets posts

Galaxies Apart

Extension talks with Dubinsky, Bobrovsky underway

Blue Jackets draft review

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